NCSU c/o 2018 applicants!

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Thanks :/ does anyone know if they'll tell us what spot we are on the wait list if we call and ask? It didn't say in the letter..
 
Same boat...wait listed. The letter said that we are unranked. From what I've read in past posts is that they pick based on who declines. If small animal OOS declines then they take in a small animal person etc.
 
DVMDreams23 said:
Same boat...wait listed. The letter said that we are unranked. From what I've read in past posts is that they pick based on who declines. If small animal OOS declines then they take in a small animal person etc.
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Ah okay, makes sense. Thanks
 
Rejected, florida as well. Already got in somewhere else though 🙂
 
Currently on the bus back to NYC from Ithaca and my mom just called me to let me know I was accepted. I'm absolutely floored. this is going to be very tough. I just got back from the info session at cornell yesterday and really liked it.

EDIT
(I'm OOS, CA)
 
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Still waiting for another month, going crazy, IS, RALEIGHHHH

Just kidding. Congratulations y'all, and to the wait list, it moves a lot!!! To those with bad news, everything happens for a reason. Just keep your head up!

Edit: any questions about just raleigh I can help with 🙂. I've been here my entire life...
 
wolfpackprevet said:
Still waiting for another month, going crazy, IS, RALEIGHHHH

Just kidding. Congratulations y'all, and to the wait list, it moves a lot!!! To those with bad news, everything happens for a reason. Just keep your head up!

Edit: any questions about just raleigh I can help with 🙂. I've been here my entire life...
Click to expand...

care to just make a general post about raleigh? i'm moving there soon (no specific questions, just curious)
 
ACCEPTED OOS, Utah! SHOCKED, literally! I can't believe it!! This is going to be an incredibly difficult decision. NCSU has been my dream school for SOOOOOO long. Pretty much gonna be impossible to turn down the offer, despite having loved USU/WSU. I had all but written NCSU off, and expected to receive a notification of rejection in my mailbox this afternoon. What a fantastic surprise 🙂
 
gugoodoll said:
Currently on the bus back to NYC from Ithaca and my mom just called me to let me know I was accepted. I'm absolutely floored. this is going to be very tough. I just got back from the info session at cornell yesterday and really liked it.

EDIT
(I'm OOS, CA)
Click to expand...
Come with me to Raleigh, Gugoodoll!!
 
Sure @jmo1012!

So Raleigh is in kind of a cool place right now because it really just became a "real" city. Our downtown and the area around NCSU was just kind of redone and revitalized in the early 2000s, and it's starting to really stick. There are a lot of really fun things to do around (not that you'll have much time in vet school, but at least it's nice to know its there). However, because of where it is located, you can drive about 30 minutes and be in the middle of nowhere. You can find some rural-ish areas closer, too (there are a few horse options within about 30 minutes, too -- some are way closer). Outlying areas of Cary, Wake Forest, and Apex are all nice areas; Garner is good most everywhere too. Cost of living is average. Great greenway system developing that connects most of the city and lets you go through Lake Raleigh and Lake Johnson, as well as Lake Wheeler, Lake Jordan, and Umstead Park. You can drive 3 hours to the mountains, 2 to the beach. RTP is close (cool for research), so is the airport. It's pretty consistently rated one of the best places to live. If you live inside the beltline (440) you're closer to everything but will immediately pay more.

Any more direction than that? haha. I can talk about Raleigh and NCSU for forever, but it'd be easier to know if there were any specific questions.
 
CONGRATS EVERYONE! (Esp Gugoodoll and LabVet!!)

I'm a little worried that I haven't received any notification from NCSU and they said in the email that they'd mail the letter to the "current address" in VMCAS and my "current address" in VMCAS was when I was in a different state (though I said it would be my "current" until August of last year)...
 
Congrats everyone who is accepted!! Does anyone have idea the schedule for the welcome day/open house? Trying to book flights and just need to know what time everything on Friday (March 28) begins...
 
Rejected. Figured as much with only 20 spots available. My IS school is last chance for this cycle....praying for a miracle at this point.
 
chloehazel said:
Congrats everyone who is accepted!! Does anyone have idea the schedule for the welcome day/open house? Trying to book flights and just need to know what time everything on Friday (March 28) begins...
Click to expand...
Look around on here: http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/studentservices/orientation.html

They have the schedule up from last year for the welcome day: http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/studentservices/documents/2017WelcomeReceptionAgenda.pdf
Open house is from 9 to 3: http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/news/openhouse/

AND CONGRATS TO YOU! AND EVERYONE ACCEPTED!
Waitlisters I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya!
And I'm very sorry to those of you rejected, I hope other schools realize how awesome you are!
 
Blah still haven't gotten a letter yet either. Will you accepted people post here when you get that email from NCSU with the 'further instructions' thing they said they would do in the next week? That might help me formulate what my status is...
 
Lab Vet said:
Come with me to Raleigh, Gugoodoll!!
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Very very tempted! I see you've already made your decision 🙂

I don't think I'll be able to visit Raleigh before I make my decision, unfortunately (can't make the Accepted Students' Day either. I'll be in Korea then). I do have a bunch of questions for current students, if anyone is willing to answer 😛
 
cadisestrama said:
CONGRATS EVERYONE! (Esp Gugoodoll and LabVet!!)

I'm a little worried that I haven't received any notification from NCSU and they said in the email that they'd mail the letter to the "current address" in VMCAS and my "current address" in VMCAS was when I was in a different state (though I said it would be my "current" until August of last year)...
Click to expand...

Thank you, cadisestrama! If you don't receive anything by Monday, maybe you should call or email NCSU to confirm the address they used?
 
Okay, so I have a bunch of questions for any current students...if you could answer any of them I'd really appreciate it! I apologize for the sheer number of questions. If I were actually able to visit the school I'd ask them directly, lol. I'm hoping to get in touch with a friend of a friend of a friend who works in the Pathology department as well.

- Are there opportunities for 1st-3rd years to work (for pay) in the vet school/teaching hospital? If so, how competitive are the jobs and would you even recommend it? (as in, do you find that there's enough time for a job once you get into the groove of vet school)
- How "awesome" is the faculty? If there's a Monday exam and you and a group of people are studying at a local cafe on a Sunday morning, how likely is it that a faculty member will actually take their time to stop by and help you out/answer questions? Basically, how supportive and encouraging is the faculty? Do you feel like they really want you to succeed and are rooting for you?
- Are there enough opportunities for hands-on animal interaction for 1st/2nd (even 3rd?) year students? Going along with this, do you feel like there are enough clubs to cater to many different interests? (Also, are there any clubs pertaining to business management?)
- Considering that you're stuck in lecture for most of the day 5 days a week from ~8-4, do you feel like you have enough time to do "normal" things? Like if you have a horse, are you able to actually go out and ride 4-5 days of the week? Basically, do students generally tend to be happy?
- What kind of culture/learning environment does NCSU tend to have? Supportive? Competitive? I suppose this depends on the individual class, but still thought I'd ask.
- Are students able to gain access to a wide variety of experiences? During the summer, are there many opportunities for various internships/externships/etc? What about the opportunities to travel/volunteer abroad?
- What is the average amount of money given via scholarships (both federal/school)? Are they generally need-based, or performance-based?
- What is the general caseload for equine relative to small animal? (For example, at Cornell I think they have about 2K equine and 10K small animal)
- Where do you think the curriculum can be improved?
- I realize that NCSU is a relatively new school, but what is the quality of the alumni network?

Thanks SO much in advance 🙂

EDIT

I forgot to ask...is there "tracking" at NCSU? I was looking at the 4th year curriculum on the website and it looks like you just need to fulfill 43 credits or so from a list of rotations. Do you just pick and choose, or is there are required set of rotations depending on your track?

Nevermind about the tracking question, I found this:
http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/dvm/focus.html
 
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yhoundeh said:
Welcome Weekend (March 28th) is an event the day before Open House (March 29th). It's not horrible if you miss, it's just a chance to see the school, meet some of your classmates, and you can ask us (c/o 2017) questions. There will be more opportunities for this during the orientation week. We had a lot of people from out of state that couldn't make it (and I was accepted after it, oh well!) and they didn't miss much apparently.
If you are able to go to either of these, I do recommend it though! Open House is a lot of fun, and it's a good way to check out all the nifty stuff the school does.
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who are you....
 
@gugoodoll

Okay, so I have a bunch of questions for any current students...if you could answer any of them I'd really appreciate it! I apologize for the sheer number of questions. If I were actually able to visit the school I'd ask them directly, lol. I'm hoping to get in touch with a friend of a friend of a friend who works in the Pathology department as well.

- Are there opportunities for 1st-3rd years to work (for pay) in the vet school/teaching hospital? If so, how competitive are the jobs and would you even recommend it? (as in, do you find that there's enough time for a job once you get into the groove of vet school)
  • Yes. There are jobs with TAU, Equine Treatment Crew, and as an emergency surgery technician. I currently work as an emergency OR technician and love it. Yesterday I teched two surgeries (a hemilaminectomy and a foreign body). The pay is $2/hour for on call and $10/hour from the time you're called in to the time you clock out. I love having a job and some "spending money," though my grades aren't the best (I'm banking on the whole quality of experience/letters of rec thing for a residency).
- How "awesome" is the faculty? If there's a Monday exam and you and a group of people are studying at a local cafe on a Sunday morning, how likely is it that a faculty member will actually take their time to stop by and help you out/answer questions? Basically, how supportive and encouraging is the faculty? Do you feel like they really want you to succeed and are rooting for you?
  • If you're good to them they're good to you. The anatomy professors and instructors are amazing. They set up mocks for every exam, lead after hours review sessions, and email to let you know if they'll be in the lab over the weekends. One of my physiology teachers has taken a special interest in me and I can't tell you how much it has meant to me this semester (I struggled with depression and some problems for the last year and a half that lead to me not working to my potential, in his office one day he just looks at me and goes, "you're much smarter than your GPA and I expect better from you because you're capable of much more." It was a needed kick in the butt for me, and I think he knew that. They're great about responding to emails, etc.
- Are there enough opportunities for hands-on animal interaction for 1st/2nd (even 3rd?) year students? Going along with this, do you feel like there are enough clubs to cater to many different interests? (Also, are there any clubs pertaining to business management?)
  • We generally had one hands on, out of lab day with dogs in anatomy last year, rumor is due to curriculum changes this is going away. There is teaching animal unit where you get hands on with the farm animals and it's really really cool and a good experience. There are way too many clubs to be involved with everything and they're all awesome! Lots of opportunities for wetlabs, etc. You won't have time to do them all, so pick what you love. I've done an emergency radiology one and some horse things.
- Considering that you're stuck in lecture for most of the day 5 days a week from ~8-4, do you feel like you have enough time to do "normal" things? Like if you have a horse, are you able to actually go out and ride 4-5 days of the week? Basically, do students generally tend to be happy?
  • Generally happy, yes! Ride a horse 4-5 times a week, depends on your social life and how much studying you require for the grades you want. My horse is at home with my parents because she's the type who would take 4-5 rides a week to keep sane and I know I don't have that time. There are students who do have horses and ride regularly, but 4-5 seems like a stretch. That being said, 1 or 2 nights a week, I feed horses for an older couple so I get a horse fix.
- What kind of culture/learning environment does NCSU tend to have? Supportive? Competitive? I suppose this depends on the individual class, but still thought I'd ask.
  • This really is class dependent. My class is simultaneously super "gunner-y" but really supportive. We have an awesome study website where most people submit any materials they've made for exams, etc. We have a class quizlet page that everyone updates with stuff they make. Our study leader @hygebeorht is absolutely positively amazing. She's set up study boards, mock practicals, review sessions, tutoring opportunities, etc. I still say there are a lot of class members who are too intense (crying about A-'s, etc), but that everyone is very supportive.
- Are students able to gain access to a wide variety of experiences? During the summer, are there many opportunities for various internships/externships/etc? What about the opportunities to travel/volunteer abroad?
  • Yes. Some friends secured funding to go to India and work with elephants for selective credit. Other friends will be going to China for an acupuncture course this summer. There is quite a bit of funding available and we get emails near every day about summer opportunities (though if you have one of the previously mentioned jobs you are expected to work during the summers as well- works for me as I have PhD research to do so I'm stuck here anyways).
- What is the average amount of money given via scholarships (both federal/school)? Are they generally need-based, or performance-based?
  • I have no idea. Ask Joanna Donovan. I think most tries to be need-based.
- What is the general caseload for equine relative to small animal? (For example, at Cornell I think they have about 2K equine and 10K small animal)
  • Again, not sure, but I've never seen the equine hospital seem particularly slow. There are so few equine track students that during rotations they're always extremely busy with treatments and what not.
- Where do you think the curriculum can be improved?
  • I'm really sad about the curriculum changes that are affecting your class, basically it's a movement away from classroom based learning (there will still be tons) to more of a learn on your own, apply in class thing. We'll see how it goes, when it was explained to me it sounded awesome, but when I hear how they're changing things (less anatomy lab and lecture time, less cardiophysiology, more communications and PBL, removal of embryology and combination with comparative anatomy) it worries me a little. I guess we'll see hot it goes as they appear to have their reasons for changing the curriculum. I think if you're food animal focused you really have to work to get the level of knowledge that we get on small animals (i.e. join clubs, wet labs, palpation team, etc.).
- I realize that NCSU is a relatively new school, but what is the quality of the alumni network?
  • very good and supportive.

Thanks SO much in advance 🙂
 
Foxhunter said:
@gugoodoll

Okay, so I have a bunch of questions for any current students...if you could answer any of them I'd really appreciate it! I apologize for the sheer number of questions. If I were actually able to visit the school I'd ask them directly, lol. I'm hoping to get in touch with a friend of a friend of a friend who works in the Pathology department as well.

- Are there opportunities for 1st-3rd years to work (for pay) in the vet school/teaching hospital? If so, how competitive are the jobs and would you even recommend it? (as in, do you find that there's enough time for a job once you get into the groove of vet school)
  • Yes. There are jobs with TAU, Equine Treatment Crew, and as an emergency surgery technician. I currently work as an emergency OR technician and love it. Yesterday I teched two surgeries (a hemilaminectomy and a foreign body). The pay is $2/hour for on call and $10/hour from the time you're called in to the time you clock out. I love having a job and some "spending money," though my grades aren't the best (I'm banking on the whole quality of experience/letters of rec thing for a residency).
- How "awesome" is the faculty? If there's a Monday exam and you and a group of people are studying at a local cafe on a Sunday morning, how likely is it that a faculty member will actually take their time to stop by and help you out/answer questions? Basically, how supportive and encouraging is the faculty? Do you feel like they really want you to succeed and are rooting for you?
  • If you're good to them they're good to you. The anatomy professors and instructors are amazing. They set up mocks for every exam, lead after hours review sessions, and email to let you know if they'll be in the lab over the weekends. One of my physiology teachers has taken a special interest in me and I can't tell you how much it has meant to me this semester (I struggled with depression and some problems for the last year and a half that lead to me not working to my potential, in his office one day he just looks at me and goes, "you're much smarter than your GPA and I expect better from you because you're capable of much more." It was a needed kick in the butt for me, and I think he knew that. They're great about responding to emails, etc.
- Are there enough opportunities for hands-on animal interaction for 1st/2nd (even 3rd?) year students? Going along with this, do you feel like there are enough clubs to cater to many different interests? (Also, are there any clubs pertaining to business management?)
  • We generally had one hands on, out of lab day with dogs in anatomy last year, rumor is due to curriculum changes this is going away. There is teaching animal unit where you get hands on with the farm animals and it's really really cool and a good experience. There are way too many clubs to be involved with everything and they're all awesome! Lots of opportunities for wetlabs, etc. You won't have time to do them all, so pick what you love. I've done an emergency radiology one and some horse things.
- Considering that you're stuck in lecture for most of the day 5 days a week from ~8-4, do you feel like you have enough time to do "normal" things? Like if you have a horse, are you able to actually go out and ride 4-5 days of the week? Basically, do students generally tend to be happy?
  • Generally happy, yes! Ride a horse 4-5 times a week, depends on your social life and how much studying you require for the grades you want. My horse is at home with my parents because she's the type who would take 4-5 rides a week to keep sane and I know I don't have that time. There are students who do have horses and ride regularly, but 4-5 seems like a stretch. That being said, 1 or 2 nights a week, I feed horses for an older couple so I get a horse fix.
- What kind of culture/learning environment does NCSU tend to have? Supportive? Competitive? I suppose this depends on the individual class, but still thought I'd ask.
  • This really is class dependent. My class is simultaneously super "gunner-y" but really supportive. We have an awesome study website where most people submit any materials they've made for exams, etc. We have a class quizlet page that everyone updates with stuff they make. Our study leader @hygebeorht is absolutely positively amazing. She's set up study boards, mock practicals, review sessions, tutoring opportunities, etc. I still say there are a lot of class members who are too intense (crying about A-'s, etc), but that everyone is very supportive.
- Are students able to gain access to a wide variety of experiences? During the summer, are there many opportunities for various internships/externships/etc? What about the opportunities to travel/volunteer abroad?
  • Yes. Some friends secured funding to go to India and work with elephants for selective credit. Other friends will be going to China for an acupuncture course this summer. There is quite a bit of funding available and we get emails near every day about summer opportunities (though if you have one of the previously mentioned jobs you are expected to work during the summers as well- works for me as I have PhD research to do so I'm stuck here anyways).
- What is the average amount of money given via scholarships (both federal/school)? Are they generally need-based, or performance-based?
  • I have no idea. Ask Joanna Donovan. I think most tries to be need-based.
- What is the general caseload for equine relative to small animal? (For example, at Cornell I think they have about 2K equine and 10K small animal)
  • Again, not sure, but I've never seen the equine hospital seem particularly slow. There are so few equine track students that during rotations they're always extremely busy with treatments and what not.
- Where do you think the curriculum can be improved?
  • I'm really sad about the curriculum changes that are affecting your class, basically it's a movement away from classroom based learning (there will still be tons) to more of a learn on your own, apply in class thing. We'll see how it goes, when it was explained to me it sounded awesome, but when I hear how they're changing things (less anatomy lab and lecture time, less cardiophysiology, more communications and PBL, removal of embryology and combination with comparative anatomy) it worries me a little. I guess we'll see hot it goes as they appear to have their reasons for changing the curriculum. I think if you're food animal focused you really have to work to get the level of knowledge that we get on small animals (i.e. join clubs, wet labs, palpation team, etc.).
- I realize that NCSU is a relatively new school, but what is the quality of the alumni network?
  • very good and supportive.

Thanks SO much in advance 🙂
Click to expand...
Thanks, Foxhunter! Your responses to Gugoodoll's questions are really helpful. Will you be at the Open house/Welcome day in March? Hopefully, I'll see you there!
 
Lab Vet said:
Thanks, Foxhunter! Your responses to Gugoodoll's questions are really helpful. Will you be at the Open house/Welcome day in March? Hopefully, I'll see you there!
Click to expand...
Yes sir/ma'm. I'll be on one of the info sessions where you ask students questions.
 
Foxhunter said:
@gugoodoll

Okay, so I have a bunch of questions for any current students...if you could answer any of them I'd really appreciate it! I apologize for the sheer number of questions. If I were actually able to visit the school I'd ask them directly, lol. I'm hoping to get in touch with a friend of a friend of a friend who works in the Pathology department as well.

- Are there opportunities for 1st-3rd years to work (for pay) in the vet school/teaching hospital? If so, how competitive are the jobs and would you even recommend it? (as in, do you find that there's enough time for a job once you get into the groove of vet school)
  • Yes. There are jobs with TAU, Equine Treatment Crew, and as an emergency surgery technician. I currently work as an emergency OR technician and love it. Yesterday I teched two surgeries (a hemilaminectomy and a foreign body). The pay is $2/hour for on call and $10/hour from the time you're called in to the time you clock out. I love having a job and some "spending money," though my grades aren't the best (I'm banking on the whole quality of experience/letters of rec thing for a residency).
- How "awesome" is the faculty? If there's a Monday exam and you and a group of people are studying at a local cafe on a Sunday morning, how likely is it that a faculty member will actually take their time to stop by and help you out/answer questions? Basically, how supportive and encouraging is the faculty? Do you feel like they really want you to succeed and are rooting for you?
  • If you're good to them they're good to you. The anatomy professors and instructors are amazing. They set up mocks for every exam, lead after hours review sessions, and email to let you know if they'll be in the lab over the weekends. One of my physiology teachers has taken a special interest in me and I can't tell you how much it has meant to me this semester (I struggled with depression and some problems for the last year and a half that lead to me not working to my potential, in his office one day he just looks at me and goes, "you're much smarter than your GPA and I expect better from you because you're capable of much more." It was a needed kick in the butt for me, and I think he knew that. They're great about responding to emails, etc.
- Are there enough opportunities for hands-on animal interaction for 1st/2nd (even 3rd?) year students? Going along with this, do you feel like there are enough clubs to cater to many different interests? (Also, are there any clubs pertaining to business management?)
  • We generally had one hands on, out of lab day with dogs in anatomy last year, rumor is due to curriculum changes this is going away. There is teaching animal unit where you get hands on with the farm animals and it's really really cool and a good experience. There are way too many clubs to be involved with everything and they're all awesome! Lots of opportunities for wetlabs, etc. You won't have time to do them all, so pick what you love. I've done an emergency radiology one and some horse things.
- Considering that you're stuck in lecture for most of the day 5 days a week from ~8-4, do you feel like you have enough time to do "normal" things? Like if you have a horse, are you able to actually go out and ride 4-5 days of the week? Basically, do students generally tend to be happy?
  • Generally happy, yes! Ride a horse 4-5 times a week, depends on your social life and how much studying you require for the grades you want. My horse is at home with my parents because she's the type who would take 4-5 rides a week to keep sane and I know I don't have that time. There are students who do have horses and ride regularly, but 4-5 seems like a stretch. That being said, 1 or 2 nights a week, I feed horses for an older couple so I get a horse fix.
- What kind of culture/learning environment does NCSU tend to have? Supportive? Competitive? I suppose this depends on the individual class, but still thought I'd ask.
  • This really is class dependent. My class is simultaneously super "gunner-y" but really supportive. We have an awesome study website where most people submit any materials they've made for exams, etc. We have a class quizlet page that everyone updates with stuff they make. Our study leader @hygebeorht is absolutely positively amazing. She's set up study boards, mock practicals, review sessions, tutoring opportunities, etc. I still say there are a lot of class members who are too intense (crying about A-'s, etc), but that everyone is very supportive.
- Are students able to gain access to a wide variety of experiences? During the summer, are there many opportunities for various internships/externships/etc? What about the opportunities to travel/volunteer abroad?
  • Yes. Some friends secured funding to go to India and work with elephants for selective credit. Other friends will be going to China for an acupuncture course this summer. There is quite a bit of funding available and we get emails near every day about summer opportunities (though if you have one of the previously mentioned jobs you are expected to work during the summers as well- works for me as I have PhD research to do so I'm stuck here anyways).
- What is the average amount of money given via scholarships (both federal/school)? Are they generally need-based, or performance-based?
  • I have no idea. Ask Joanna Donovan. I think most tries to be need-based.
- What is the general caseload for equine relative to small animal? (For example, at Cornell I think they have about 2K equine and 10K small animal)
  • Again, not sure, but I've never seen the equine hospital seem particularly slow. There are so few equine track students that during rotations they're always extremely busy with treatments and what not.
- Where do you think the curriculum can be improved?
  • I'm really sad about the curriculum changes that are affecting your class, basically it's a movement away from classroom based learning (there will still be tons) to more of a learn on your own, apply in class thing. We'll see how it goes, when it was explained to me it sounded awesome, but when I hear how they're changing things (less anatomy lab and lecture time, less cardiophysiology, more communications and PBL, removal of embryology and combination with comparative anatomy) it worries me a little. I guess we'll see hot it goes as they appear to have their reasons for changing the curriculum. I think if you're food animal focused you really have to work to get the level of knowledge that we get on small animals (i.e. join clubs, wet labs, palpation team, etc.).
- I realize that NCSU is a relatively new school, but what is the quality of the alumni network?
  • very good and supportive.

Thanks SO much in advance 🙂
Click to expand...

Thank you, @Foxhunter! Much appreciated.
 
Well, this is kind of embarrassing. I had emailed Jeff Huckel with the same questions I posted here and he did a mass email to the c/o 2015-2017 😳 I feel put in the spotlight, lol.
 
gugoodoll said:
Well, this is kind of embarrassing. I had emailed Jeff Huckel with the same questions I posted here and he did a mass email to the c/o 2015-2017 😳 I feel put in the spotlight, lol.
Click to expand...
Any way you can share the replies you get? I'm also wondering about the questions you posted and it would be interesting to see multiple perspectives.
 
chloehazel said:
Any way you can share the replies you get? I'm also wondering about the questions you posted and it would be interesting to see multiple perspectives.
Click to expand...

I've already gotten one:

Are there opportunities for 1st-3rd years to work (for pay) in the vet school/teaching hospital? If so, how competitive are the jobs and would you even recommend it? (as in, do you find that there's enough time for a job once you get into the groove of vet school?)
There are definitely opportunities to work at the vet school. It's pretty limited for first year students (Trust me, you won't have much time from all the studying and extracurriculars). But I work at a local small animal clinic as well as in the large animal hospital on a treatment crew one weekend a month and work in a research lab. The more involved and interested you are in working with faculuty, you can definitely find a job that suits your interests. As a small school (~ 400 vet students in all 4 classes) it can be competitive, but you usually have no problem finding jobs at the vet school or around with many local clinics and volunteer opportunities.

- How supportive/encouraging is the faculty? If there's a Monday exam and you and a group of people are studying at a local cafe on aSunday morning, how likely is it that a faculty member will actually take their time to stop by and help you out/answer questions? Do you feel like they really want you to succeed and are rooting for you?
I wouldn't say they would give up their sunday morning to hang out with you, but the professors really do try and work around students schedules. They host study review sessions for many of the exams and I have met with many of them 1 on 1 to work through cases, problems and troubles I have in studying. I truly feel they want you to succeed, but as with any graduate program, they are not hear to hand hold.

- Considering that you're stuck in lecture for most of the day 5 days a week from ~8-4, do you feel like there are there enough opportunities for hands-on animal interaction for 1st/2nd (even 3rd?) year students?

YES. With over 20 active clubs in every aspect of medicine you can think of, wet labs are always happening and many students strike a nice balance with extracurriculars in and out of the vet school. Usually wetlabs are catered to first years to expose them to different avenues of vet med and I have found the opportunities to be there if anyone wants them.
- Do you feel like you have enough time to do "normal" things outside of vet school? Like if you have a horse, are you able to actually go out and ride 4 days of the week? Basically, do students generally tend to be happy?

I am giving you my honest answers, so it really comes down to your personality. If you are trying to be a 4.0 student in vet school, you will find that you won't have time for things outside of vet school. If you are here to make decent grades, have a life, and generally enjoy being in vet school, you will make time for opportunities to further your career and make friendships. I would say for the most part, much of my fellow classmates truly enjoy being here and learning. I work three jobs, volunteer with countless organizations and make decent grades. It all comes down to what you are trying to prioritize. For me, I want to be a great clinician, but know that I am not a 4.0 student, so my own personal decision to work in the real world I believe will help me more than grades, which is possible to do in vet school.

- What kind of culture/learning environment does NCSU tend to have? Supportive? Competitive? I suppose this depends on the individual class, but still thought I'd ask.

Depends on individual classes but generally it would be supportive and competitive. Professors want you to suceed and our classmates generally share study guides, work together and help each other out.

- Are students able to gain access to a wide variety of experiences? During the summer, are there many opportunities for various internships/externships/etc? What about the opportunities and funding to travel/volunteer abroad?

This comes down to the students. Nothing is handed to you but joining clubs and networking are an integral part of becoming a vet student. Many upperclassman pass along their externship opportunities and many professors have great connections depending on your area of interest. There is funding to travel abroad although pretty limited.

- What do you think are your school's biggest strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths - we are in thea heart of the "one health movement." So many different specialities and areas of interest make out classes pretty unique. For example, I want to go into food animal medicine, but I also work in small animal clinic, food residue/public health research and volunteer with shelter dogs. If you are interested in something, you will find your niche. We are near a international airport, research centers (NIH/NIEHS) as well as Duke and UNC medical centers with many opportunities available for collaboration. We are the #3 vet school in the nation!
Weaknesses - I wouldn't really say much negative about coming here. Tuition is cheapest in the country and professors are well established in their fields. If I had to put a weakness, would be lack of scholarship support for students, but even then its still pretty good for the most part.

- Where do you think the curriculum can be improved?
Currently undergoing curriculum evaluation - If you do decide to join us in Raleigh, you will find that a lot of erroneus material has been ommited and communication/problem solving classes will be added to assist us in cases and client communication.
 
I emailed Jeff about the curriculum changes as well. Here is his response:

Here are the upcoming curricular changes as listed in our AVMA Self-Study due in March 2014.


/The FCCCE completed a review of the DVM curriculum in 2009 that identified opportunities for improvement in integration, flexibility, assessment methods, management of volume of content in didactic lectures, and adoption of more active learning techniques. Specific needs for more training in primary care, surgery, communication and professional skills were also identified. Subsequently the CourseCoordinators Group worked the FCCCE to develop a plan for curricular change by reducing some content in core didactic courses to create space for electives and a series of threaded, integrated small group critical thinking and communication/professional skills courses. /
/
This plan is now actively in progress and focused on reducing course content in selected Year 1 - 3 courses. Led by the course coordinator, faculty teams have reviewed the content of each course. These teams included faculty inside and outside the discipline plus faculty who taught “upstream” and “downstream” in the curriculum. More than 60 faculty and external reviewers participated in this process and each course coordinator produced a report identifying content that could be reduced, moved or added. The FCCCE is currently reviewing these reports for final course modification. The course review process will be used for future continuous curriculum review./
/
After FCCCE approval, course revision will roll out starting with freshman year in fall 2014, sophomore year in fall 2015 and Junior Year in fall 2016. Engagement of faculty in the review process is expected to improve both horizontal and vertical integration among courses. In summer 2013, tenure track faculty in education and communication were hired to help with the curriculum revision process and develop new threaded courses in critical thinking and communication/professional skills./
/
The final new curriculum will add the following to the pre-clinical curriculum 1) A threaded one - credit hour Critical Thinking course in all semesters, 2) A threaded Communication/Professional skills course to one semester in the freshman and sophomore year and two semesters in the junior year, and 3) Electives in the sophomore and junior years. In addition, small animal physical examination, ethics and portions of radiology will be taught earlier in the curriculum. /

Sorry to be posting so much, I feel like I'm hijacking the thread. I'm hoping the remaining OOS-ers receive good news in the mail today! Fingers crossed :xf::luck:
 
gugoodoll said:
Sorry to be posting so much, I feel like I'm hijacking the thread. I'm hoping the remaining OOS-ers receive good news in the mail today! Fingers crossed :xf::luck:
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No this is great, please keep it coming! I love seeing all these answers. I always feel like the more info/opinions I can get the better, and you had really good questions.

And yes, good luck to everyone still waiting!
 
dalmatiandoc17 said:
No this is great, please keep it coming! I love seeing all these answers. I always feel like the more info/opinions I can get the better, and you had really good questions.

And yes, good luck to everyone still waiting!
Click to expand...
Really helpful, @gugoodoll! Thanks for posting. Good luck, NCSU hopefulls! Hope to see you all in Raleigh this fall 🙂
 
A response from a 3rd year:

1) THere *are* opportunities for work in the school/teaching hospital. I am involved in one of them. Several of them allow you to "fix" your work schedule around your job schedule somewhat, which is very convenient. Which specific one I'd recommend depends on what you want to do overall.

2) The faculty is encouraging to a point, and this also depends on who it is. Some faculty are willing to talk to you on weekends if you have an examon Monday, others are willing to help you out during the week (even out of hours), but not on odd hours of the weekend. Others give specific hours they will be available to help. Regardless, the vast majority of the faculty actively help in your learning and education, and want you to succeed.

3) There's more than enough, if you look for it. You get a LOT of interaction as a third year, and there were several courses when I went through in second year involving animal interaction and exam skills. You can also seek it out through school, outside of school, through clubs, etc. There's a wealth of opportunity if you are willing to get it.

4) It depends on how often you classify being "normal". I can usually hang out with my friends and play board/card/paper games between two or three times a week, as well as spend time with my girlfriend every day. There are some weeks where that number plummets, and others where it soars. Second year you will likely have very little time, but I still managed to see my friends at least once a week (even if only for a little bit). You will be happy as long as you take time to make sure you are happy. The important part is to find out what you are comfortable with (and what you require) academically, then balance your ability to reach that goal with the activities that make you happy.

5) The environment is VERY class dependent. The class above and below mine fall very very close to the "hugs and love and OMG Friendship" status, while mine is competitive. Even mine is still very supportive of each other and helpful when crunch time comes around. You will always have a few bad apples, so the important part is to make sure you excise those. The staff overall are extraordinarily supportive, as are the faculty. You'll find people in every class willing to help out and form a close knit group through vet school.

6) A the graduate level, internships are a "find your own" sort of thing. There's a few through the vet school, but for the most part, the summer is your own to figure out. Most people do the Merck/Merial research one their first summer to get their research requirement out of the way. It's not required to do research, however, so as long as you know what to do, you can do whatever you want over the summer. There are opportunities for external funding (you can find those on your own), as well as through SCAVMA. I know the school has a semesterly trip to China to study holistic medicine, which is a very cool trip, I've heard.

7) Very supportive staff and faculty, good emphasis on medicine and application overall, as well as surgical skills. Lots of opportunities for students to get hands on experience.

8) This is a question for the second and first years, who have gone through the current curriculum.
 
Still no letter today... I'm probably going to just email Jeff to confirm my address. (Thanks gugoodoll for the suggestion).

Edit: Yup. They sent it to the address that I'm no longer at. Boo. More waiting.
 
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- Are there opportunities for 1st-3rd years to work (for pay) in the vet school/teaching hospital? If so, how competitive are the jobs and would you even recommend it? (as in, do you find that there's enough time for a job once you get into the groove of vet school)

Not my particular area of expertise, but I know a ton of my classmates have varying jobs throughout the school. This varies from large animal tx crew, to working with pathology, to various research projects and teching with services during the summer. I personally have a weekend job with our science museum from before vet school, so haven't really tried to get one here... although I did get paid to watch over a pregnant doggy (and subsequent puppy!) last summer, which was pretty fabulous. Jobs will really vary in competitiveness and personal ability to keep work-life-school balance will kind of determine how much you can do that. Lots and lots of people have at least a part time job.

- How "awesome" is the faculty? If there's a Monday exam and you and a group of people are studying at a local cafe on a Sunday morning, how likely is it that a faculty member will actually take their time to stop by and help you out/answer questions? Basically, how supportive and encouraging is the faculty? Do you feel like they really want you to succeed and are rooting for you?
I wouldn't bet on people showing up AM Sunday for a test (nor would I expect them to - families and such) but definitely very supportive in general. Most will do review sessions, all will answer questions, and nobody wants you to fail out (and they will definitely give you extra help if you're in danger). When I bombed an anatomy test second semester, we hadn't had the grades for more than ten minutes before one of the anatomy people came to me and asked me if I wanted extra help (and we subsequently set up individual sessions with the cadavers).

- Are there enough opportunities for hands-on animal interaction for 1st/2nd (even 3rd?) year students? Going along with this, do you feel like there are enough clubs to cater to many different interests? (Also, are there any clubs pertaining to business management?)
On clubs: yes. seriously, there's a club for EVERYTHING, and I can't imagine people feeling like they're lacking in clubs to join here. And we do have a VBMA chapter.
On hands-on: I'd still say yes. We have TAU (Teaching Animal Unit) every semester, which is hands on with large animals at our on-campus mini farm. In anatomy they do palpation work, and second and third year has physical exam skills classes that meet biweekly (and cover both traditional small animals and exotics). There's a monthly spay day done with a local clinic that can get you more tech and surgical experience, clubs often have hands-on labs, and in general I think they do a good job with mixing in labs and classes.

- Considering that you're stuck in lecture for most of the day 5 days a week from ~8-4, do you feel like you have enough time to do "normal" things? Like if you have a horse, are you able to actually go out and ride 4-5 days of the week? Basically, do students generally tend to be happy?
Totally, totally depends on the person. I gave up on worrying too much about grades and honestly don't study a ton and I'm happy - I have time for my hobbies, family/friends, and to just chill out. My class rank shows my lackadaisical approach to grades. 😛 Some people are academically driven balls of stress, and hey, that works for them, too. I think for any vet school anywhere, it comes down to the individual determining where they fall in the scale.

- What kind of culture/learning environment does NCSU tend to have? Supportive? Competitive? I suppose this depends on the individual class, but still thought I'd ask.
Yeah, really depends on the class. Our class is ridiculously academically gifted (like, we've beaten the "typical" averages for almost every test we've taken) but are still pretty chill about it. There are some people that can be a little cray-cray, but you learn pretty quickly to give them a wide berth (unless you're one of them!) and all goes well. In general I'd really say the class is quite supportive.

- Are students able to gain access to a wide variety of experiences? During the summer, are there many opportunities for various internships/externships/etc? What about the opportunities to travel/volunteer abroad?
Yes. In general this is self-motivated, but there are definitely quite a lot of opportunities. Abroad-wise, I spent my first summer in South Africa, working with penguins. Other people traveled, worked, volunteered, etc. You can make your breaks what you want them to be, and I feel like we have pretty long breaks compared to a lot of schools, so that gives you the time to do it. We have a week for both fall and spring breaks, selectives at the end of the semesters are two weeks long (and you can use them to do work experiences if you don't want to take specific selectives), winter and summer breaks are pretty long.

- What is the average amount of money given via scholarships (both federal/school)? Are they generally need-based, or performance-based?
- What is the general caseload for equine relative to small animal? (For example, at Cornell I think they have about 2K equine and 10K small animal)
Uncertain on the first - I'm on the GI bill so I don't pay a ton of attention to the scholarship stuff. Also, horses are not my thing so not sure on that either, sorry.

- Where do you think the curriculum can be improved?
More problem solving, more hands-on, less sitting on my ass in class listening to people talk. I think the changes they are making are definitely going in the right direction and they are actively trying to make a curriculum that makes good vets, not a curriculum where people make themselves good vets.

- I realize that NCSU is a relatively new school, but what is the quality of the alumni network?
Also not my area of expertise, but we're going on 30 years of classes - there's lots of grads out there. I've chatted with quite a few at NAVC and other conferences and think the alumni network is quite good.

There we go, I've rambled enough.
 
cadisestrama said:
Still no letter today... I'm probably going to just email Jeff to confirm my address. (Thanks gugoodoll for the suggestion).

Edit: Yup. They sent it to the address that I'm no longer at. Boo. More waiting.
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🙁 Sad. Hope that you get a positive response soon, cadisestrama- at the correct address!
 
Booked my flight, lodging, and rental car for the NCSU CVM Open House/Welcome Reception 🙂 So excited! I'll be staying in Raleigh through April 1st to give me sufficient time to check out the area and plan my move from Salt Lake City. So excited to meet everyone! See you there 🙂
 
I got the email about the open house today, but haven't gotten my letter yet. Was the open house email sent to all applicants?
 
zooanimal said:
I got the email about the open house today, but haven't gotten my letter yet. Was the open house email sent to all applicants?
Click to expand...

I was rejected and did not get an email about the open house, so that's probably a good sign for you!
 
I have to say, I'm very very impressed by how willing and eager the administration, students, and faculty are to answer my questions.

Lab Vet, I won't be able to attend the Open House/reception but I'm excited to meet you in August!
 
zooanimal said:
I got the email about the open house today, but haven't gotten my letter yet. Was the open house email sent to all applicants?
Click to expand...

I was out of the country when letters went out, and the email about open house/welcome weekend was my first sign I was accepted... 🙂

(Mine said something like "reception for admitted students" and gave me a heart attack).
 
Trilt said:
I was out of the country when letters went out, and the email about open house/welcome weekend was my first sign I was accepted... 🙂

(Mine said something like "reception for admitted students" and gave me a heart attack).
Click to expand...

Hmm, mine didn't say for admitted students but it said "mark your calendars for the open house"...maybe I was waitlisted? I dunno :/
 
zooanimal said:
Hmm, mine didn't say for admitted students but it said "mark your calendars for the open house"...maybe I was waitlisted? I dunno :/
Click to expand...

My email only mentioned the Open House; nothing about the welcome reception. Don't fret just yet! : o)
 
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