NCSU cvm c/o 2015

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The area surrounding the Crabtree Mall has toooons of different apartment and condo complexes for all kinds of needs and budgets.

Although I'm not in vet school here, I second this.. but be careful how far down you go, because Glenwood sucks because of the traffic and stoplights that take forever. I wouldn't go farther down than off of Creedmoor Rd.

And btw VERY jealous of that price!
 
I second PythonChick's comments and NittanyKitty. I live in Cary, have a roommate ( PythonChick), and given the choice all over again, would be at NCSU even if I was accepted elsewhere (can't beat the price.) I wish we had fewer lectures and more hands on learning, but we do have awesome wetlabs and an active student community covering every topic imaginable. There are a few gunners around and a few ego-tripping professors, but that is the minority, the most are above average, and each year we have a few that are exceptional. Like all places there is the occasional drama, trauma, and politics, but you can generally be as involved or uninvolved as you like in those areas.

Everyone I know that applied for IS tuition got it, and there is a legal service (free) to walk you through the process.

One note, during 4th year on-calls, you must live close to the school. I was told 20 minutes call - door. If you can't manage that where you live, you must find a place to overnight closer (there is a hotel next door, and some students rent out guest rooms for that purpose.)

If you only want to really learn about a particular subset of vet med, this is NOT the place for you. You will have to handle livestock regularly, attend classes in public health, do some sort of 'research' (project, thesis, attend a seminar and write a paper, etc.), take an exotics phys exam course, etc. Also, if you absolutly cannot stomach 5+ hours of lecture a day, probably not the place to attend (the lectures about kill me.) We do have mandatory attendance (not well enforced yet....but clickers may change that.)

Our classes are pretty experience diverse. It's pretty awesome when a speaker asks 'how many are going into X' (less popular field of vet med) and their eyes open wide with suprise at the numbers. I feel like any interest you have here could be addressed, and there are some amazing oppurtunities (sea turtle tagging, sea turtle necropsies, whale necropsy, ultrasound short courses, wildlife nutrition short courses, small animal dentistry, accupuncture wetlabs, etc.) We have a VERY active student body.

I am somewhat negative about the entire vet school experience (I really despise long required lectures) but I still think this was the best choice economically and educationally.
 
My biggest warning is that I would definitely avoid living too close to the main campus because you might accidentally wind up in undergrad-central. Start at the vet school campus (we're slightly separate geographically), and draw a circle around it indicating the furthest distance you're willing to drive. Do the same for hubby's workplace and find some common ground to begin your search. Also, remember that if you don't want to move again in three years, you need to be within a 15-20 minute drive max for fourth year on-call duties at most schools.

Depending on where your hubby needs to be for work, I would personally focus on places in Cary (neighboring town) and near the Crabtree Mall (where I live!). A lot of students live in these two areas. Cary is about ten minutes from the school and is a quiet suburb where you can find plenty of homes and apartments/condos for rent. The area surrounding the Crabtree Mall has toooons of different apartment and condo complexes for all kinds of needs and budgets. I got a great deal on a 1 bedroom in a quiet, safe, convenient complex ($485/mo!) and there are plenty of other great places to live. You're about an 8-10 minute drive from school when here. Both places offer every convenience that you could want within arms reach and are good starting points.

Thank you so much for all of that housing advice. I will definitely look into living in Cary or around the Crabtree Mall. I do want to avoid the undergrad areas, so I will stay away from the main campus. And the rent you pay is amazing! So much cheaper than Austin, Texas where I live.

I will be there on January 25. I hope I can meet you!
 
Completely off topic question for NCSU CVM students: are you guys on a adverse weather start too? I have a class over at the vet school at 9:10am and don't know if it's canceled or not, and I don't know if the professor will respond to my email tonight.

My boyfriend lives in the crabtree area (camden something or the other) and he likes his apartment. It's pretty pricey, though.
 
Completely off topic question for NCSU CVM students: are you guys on a adverse weather start too? I have a class over at the vet school at 9:10am and don't know if it's canceled or not, and I don't know if the professor will respond to my email tonight.

I've been told we run on the same schedule as the main campus, so no classes until 10 as of now.
 
Thank you so much for all of that housing advice. I will definitely look into living in Cary or around the Crabtree Mall. I do want to avoid the undergrad areas, so I will stay away from the main campus. And the rent you pay is amazing! So much cheaper than Austin, Texas where I live.

I will be there on January 25. I hope I can meet you!

You also want to avoid having to make left hand turns onto Blue Ridge Road.

Trust me. Longest stop lights of all time. I can't tell you how many times my mom snuck through those at 4am heading to the Hunt Complex. 🙂
 
You also want to avoid having to make left hand turns onto Blue Ridge Road.

Trust me. Longest stop lights of all time. I can't tell you how many times my mom snuck through those at 4am heading to the Hunt Complex. 🙂

Hahha ditto!!! Sometimes they don't turn! Trying to get from the Hunt Complex to the Ramada is impossible at 1 am!
 
Hahha ditto!!! Sometimes they don't turn! Trying to get from the Hunt Complex to the Ramada is impossible at 1 am!

Haha, well what's funny is that for the welcome weekend in April, they send out a list of hotels we could stay at for reduced rates, and the Ramada on Blue Ridge was one of them....and I booked my room for that weekend, lol. I guess I will get to experience those traffic lights firsthand, lol. At least I know to avoid living around that road now!
 
Oh, don't worry about getting from the Ramada to the vet school. They are literally right next to each other. You can walk to the school from that Ramada Inn.....
 
Oh, don't worry about getting from the Ramada to the vet school. They are literally right next to each other. You can walk to the school from that Ramada Inn.....

Yes, the Ramada is actually the hotel they suggest folks stay in if they are on call and don't live close enough to the school. it is literally next to one of our parking lots. 2 min walk to the doors.
 
I jump in my chair every time I see this thread get bumped, even though I know NCSU isn't sending out letters for almost two months 😛
 
Ok, I know this seems like a silly question, but are there windows in any of the lecture halls? If not, do you get your sunlight fix during the lunch break?
 
Ok, I know this seems like a silly question, but are there windows in any of the lecture halls? If not, do you get your sunlight fix during the lunch break?

Unfortunately we're pretty in the dark in our lecture halls and labs - no real windows! But the cafeteria, commons areas, and library are bright and sunny, so you can get some sunlight that way. It can get a little depressing in the winter arriving when the sun is barely up and leaving when it's already dark.
 
Did everyone else get an email from student services about completing the FAFSA form?...I had a minor heart attack when I saw something from them until I realized what it was🙂
 
Yep, Just got the email myself and freaked out. I had heard that someone I knew already found out she got into NCSU and was worried that I hadn't heard yet.

I found this forum tonight and after reading the thread, I have realized that she's considered OOS so that's why she may have heard before me (IS).

Still freaking out.... waiting....

Kat
 
Is anyone else planning on visiting the school before the open house in april? I think I might try to see it over my spring break in march, because I really don't think just going in April would give me enough time before the April 15th deadline to figure things out and make a decision.
 
Is anyone else planning on visiting the school before the open house in april? I think I might try to see it over my spring break in march, because I really don't think just going in April would give me enough time before the April 15th deadline to figure things out and make a decision.

Visiting the school early is never a problem, but we do have our student spring break from March 21-25. I wouldn't schedule a visit then if you can help it since seeing a school without students doesn't really help you get a feel for how it is day to day.
 
Is anyone else planning on visiting the school before the open house in april? I think I might try to see it over my spring break in march, because I really don't think just going in April would give me enough time before the April 15th deadline to figure things out and make a decision.

Hey Midnight,

I'm visiting the school tomorrow, actually. I'm OOS (from Texas) and I chose to visit around this time because I have been interviewing at other schools around this time (Dec-Feb), and I wanted each of my visits to all be about equally fresh in my mind so I could make a fair comparison between schools. In planning my visit, I was thinking along the same lines you were, though; that visiting on April 1 was too close to the deadline. So like you, I thought it was a good idea to visit before that April date.

Haha, except now after speaking with several students at the school, I'm convinced that this is the school for me, but I didn't know that at the time I was making my travel plans. So I am here anyway. 🙂
 
Hey Midnight,

I'm visiting the school tomorrow, actually. I'm OOS (from Texas) and I chose to visit around this time because I have been interviewing at other schools around this time (Dec-Feb), and I wanted each of my visits to all be about equally fresh in my mind so I could make a fair comparison between schools. In planning my visit, I was thinking along the same lines you were, though; that visiting on April 1 was too close to the deadline. So like you, I thought it was a good idea to visit before that April date.

Haha, except now after speaking with several students at the school, I'm convinced that this is the school for me, but I didn't know that at the time I was making my travel plans. So I am here anyway. 🙂

Awesome! You'll have to let me know what you think! I feel the same way but I know I should keep my options open and see the other schools I've been accepted to and make a decision. It doesn't really help that right now it is -5 billion degrees outside and living in North Carolina for the next four years is REALLY appealing...
 
Hope you had an awesome visit today, Pelagia! 🙂 I think I saw you parked in the front row of the first year class today. Safe travels home and let us know if you have any other questions before you make your decision!
 
Hope you had an awesome visit today, Pelagia! 🙂 I think I saw you parked in the front row of the first year class today. Safe travels home and let us know if you have any other questions before you make your decision!

Haha, yep that was me! I felt really out of place when I walked into anatomy lab and was the only one not in a white coat, haha! But it was really nice to be able to tag along with the first years for a little bit. It gave me a great perspective on what it will be like to go there.

Well, I absolutely LOVED my visit. I already knew the school had a great program and all of that stuff, but getting to meet the people was even better. I definitely know that NCSU is the perfect fit for me. So I turned in my acceptance letter! 🙂

When I was speaking with people in the office, they told me that about a third of the OOSers have accepted, including me, so that's 6 or so people confirmed for the c/o 2015. They said that they are still working on the IS people, and they hope to have them finished in the next couple of weeks. So hang in there, ISers! I was told it would be about the end of February before the majority of the class is finalized, meaning that most people who have been offered have accepted.
 
Haha, yep that was me! I felt really out of place when I walked into anatomy lab and was the only one not in a white coat, haha! But it was really nice to be able to tag along with the first years for a little bit. It gave me a great perspective on what it will be like to go there.

Don't worry, you'll be there soon enough! It's gotten progressively messier in there this week as we go through the abdomen!

Well, I absolutely LOVED my visit. I already knew the school had a great program and all of that stuff, but getting to meet the people was even better. I definitely know that NCSU is the perfect fit for me. So I turned in my acceptance letter! 🙂

YAY! So happy you're going to be joining us next year! I know you will have an amazing four years at NCSU! 🙂
 
Hey, how's the new anatomy prof working out? There was so much infighting between profs in that class last semester...the evaluations were really long with complaints. Now just wondering if the change was good or bad?
 
And the days continue to drag on!.........it seems like we have been waiting forever!!!....I was told letters would be sent out March 1st when I called a few weeks ago.....so hopefully we will all know our fate soon....5 weeks and counting!🙂
 
Hey, how's the new anatomy prof working out? There was so much infighting between profs in that class last semester...the evaluations were really long with complaints. Now just wondering if the change was good or bad?

There was a little snippiness as we moved through last semester but it wasn't too bad. We actually lost the absolutely lovely new professor way earlier than expected due to a change in her pregnancy requiring bed rest. Hopefully she'll be back next year because we all fell in love with her! They ended up roping in a large animal internist to help out in lab since two professors with 80 students just isn't enough. She's okay but it's definitely apparent that first-year anatomy was a long time ago for her...
 
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First semester wasn't bad with the snippiness, but 2nd semester got very catty, with the profs openly criticizing each other, lots of snide comments to one another, rude pantomines behind the back of whomever was speaking, not to mention the battles over the exams. I loved having a professor tell us 'well, I didn't want to test you on anything we went over during the review.'
 
First semester wasn't bad with the snippiness, but 2nd semester got very catty, with the profs openly criticizing each other, lots of snide comments to one another, rude pantomines behind the back of whomever was speaking, not to mention the battles over the exams. I loved having a professor tell us 'well, I didn't want to test you on anything we went over during the review.'

Ooof. I'm hoping it'll be okay. We have only the one main lecturer and the two others are contributing only a handful of classes each. I'll keep ya updated and let you know if it goes downhill! How are the exams in this class, by the way? We're having a lot of trouble figuring out what to expect...
 
Ooof. I'm hoping it'll be okay. We have only the one main lecturer and the two others are contributing only a handful of classes each. I'll keep ya updated and let you know if it goes downhill! How are the exams in this class, by the way? We're having a lot of trouble figuring out what to expect...

Not sure with the change, but for us it was know the species differences and be able to spot them. Also, know your structures and species and be sure that you can ID them without major anatomical clues (IE if you can only see the metatarsal portion down.) I felt the rads were actually easier than first semester, palpations about the same. At least for us, the random stuff shared by profs as they circulated at the tables were more emphasized than I expected. When we studied, we found it helpful to lay out a few of each speciman in a long row, ID on one, then find it on the others, repeat. Our class had videos of review sessions, might see if you can get copies of those. Also, we would set up a couple of stations, with one person responsible for pinning items at a given station, then we would rotate and try to ID what others pinned.
 
Does NCSU offer the Health Professions Student Loan as part of the financial aid package?
 
Hey everyone, so I just stumbled upon this website/thread... I am an OOS and I received my acceptance letter back in December as well and I am 95% going to NCSU! This thread is great and really, really helpful - make me excited about going here.

I am planning on coming to visit the school and the Raleigh area the weekend of February 19th (I have a friend who lives in the areas). Hopefully checking out the school on that Friday, the 18th. I see that Pelagia you were able to sit in on some classes? I would love to be able to do that. I am planning on sending some email over the next two weeks to set up a more of a private tour?

NittanyKitty you seem to be really helpful!

And congrats to those OOS who have gotten acceptance letters, I saw it mentioned that about 6 people have already said they were going? That number will be going up soon 🙂
 
Not sure with the change, but for us it was know the species differences and be able to spot them. Also, know your structures and species and be sure that you can ID them without major anatomical clues (IE if you can only see the metatarsal portion down.) I felt the rads were actually easier than first semester, palpations about the same. At least for us, the random stuff shared by profs as they circulated at the tables were more emphasized than I expected. When we studied, we found it helpful to lay out a few of each speciman in a long row, ID on one, then find it on the others, repeat. Our class had videos of review sessions, might see if you can get copies of those. Also, we would set up a couple of stations, with one person responsible for pinning items at a given station, then we would rotate and try to ID what others pinned.

Thanks, darling! I'm not suuuuper-worried about it but I haven't spent nearly as much time on this stuff as I did for SA last semester. I'm hoping it comes together a lot easier since we've been through the process once before.

Does NCSU offer the Health Professions Student Loan as part of the financial aid package?

I think it does but you have to qualify for it. I'm pretty sure that's the one where you HAVE to write all of your parents' information even if they're not giving you a cent. I wasn't eligible because of their income even though vet school is totally on me. All of my loans are covered by subsidized and unsubsidized Staffords and a few thousand of GradPLUS.

Hey everyone, so I just stumbled upon this website/thread... I am an OOS and I received my acceptance letter back in December as well and I am 95% going to NCSU! This thread is great and really, really helpful - make me excited about going here.

Welcome and congrats! You will love it here and a visit to the school will definitely take care of that leftover 5%. 😉
NittanyKitty you seem to be really helpful!

HAHA! Really helpful or just really into finding awesome ways to avoid studying? Looks can be deceiving...
 
I don't believe we do the HPSL, but that is because all of your fin aid here should be covered by stafford and fed direct loans. the HPSL is generally used by schools whose COA exceeds the fed direct limits.
 
Ok, so I emailed the students services office just to be sure, and NCSU doesn't do the HPSL. That's okay, though, because I didn't have to enter parent info on the FAFSA, which made finishing it a lot faster.

And NittanyKitty, you are very helpful! You too, sumstorm! In fact, I'm in awe that anyone who's enrolled right now is able to take the time to answer our questions. Y'all rock.
 
Hey everyone, so I just stumbled upon this website/thread... I am an OOS and I received my acceptance letter back in December as well and I am 95% going to NCSU! This thread is great and really, really helpful - make me excited about going here.

I am planning on coming to visit the school and the Raleigh area the weekend of February 19th (I have a friend who lives in the areas). Hopefully checking out the school on that Friday, the 18th. I see that Pelagia you were able to sit in on some classes? I would love to be able to do that. I am planning on sending some email over the next two weeks to set up a more of a private tour? NittanyKitty you seem to be really helpful!

And congrats to those OOS who have gotten acceptance letters, I saw it mentioned that about 6 people have already said they were going? That number will be going up soon 🙂

Yay, someone else in the c/o 2015! I think that you will really enjoy your visit. Just email the student services department and they will plan your whole visit for you, including sitting in on classes and the tour.

And yes, when I visiting last week, I was speaking with the people in the student services office about the c/o 2015. They're still working on the IS people, but I asked how many OOS had accepted at that point. I think I was the sixth one to accept.
 
Question: What's the weather like in Raleigh? Are there truly four seasons? I've looked at the climate data on weather.com but talking to you guys seems like it will be a lot more informative.
 
I haven't lived here through Spring yet but compared to Florida I can definitely say there are more seasons. I would say there was a definite summer and fall. So far, I wouldn't say the "winter" has been much of what I would consider a classic winter but there were a few snowy days that were awesome. Also, I'm not complaining - temperatures down to the teens on some days is cold enough for me 😛 Although, lately it hasn't been getting much colder than 40s. As for spring, I've heard they have beautiful springs here but I haven't been here long enough to experience it myself yet.
 
Interesting article. I hit on the topics mentioned toward the bottom in my essays. Too bad he's not around for the admissions process. Seems like a third world perspective does wonders to highlight the importance of certain things that most don't think about.

Don't worry, his view is not foreign here. We have a pretty awesome exposure to LA with the farm right outside the school, and we have a relatively strong focus on international medicine. I have extensive international experience, and was really suprised by how much international medicine (along with One Health/Medicine) is a part of our school. We had lectures in careers first year, options for international travel, great lunch meetings about travel/working internationally, spanish selectives, travel selectives, etc. We also cover stuff in Epi. At the same time, learing SE asian bacterial disease of dogs gets to be a bit of a pain in order of relevance. One thing that I really do admire about NCSU is the variety of opinions brought to the table, and the general respect for perspectives that differ.
 
Hey everyone, especially to those c/o 2014...

I am planning on coming down this next Friday the 18th to check out the school and hopefully sit in on a class. I am driving down from VA, so I'm not getting there till the afternoon. I have a meeting with Johanna Donovan at 1:00Pm and then not sure what after, I guess a tour? I know its Friday, and Johanna said that you all try to get out pretty quick on Fridays (completely understandable) but what is your class schedule like that day? Are you all planning on getting out early? If so that's no problem! Either way, I'm excited just to see the school and the Raleigh area 🙂
 
Hey everyone, especially to those c/o 2014...

I am planning on coming down this next Friday the 18th to check out the school and hopefully sit in on a class. I am driving down from VA, so I'm not getting there till the afternoon. I have a meeting with Johanna Donovan at 1:00Pm and then not sure what after, I guess a tour? I know its Friday, and Johanna said that you all try to get out pretty quick on Fridays (completely understandable) but what is your class schedule like that day? Are you all planning on getting out early? If so that's no problem! Either way, I'm excited just to see the school and the Raleigh area 🙂

Friday afternoons for first-years are pretty much non-existant and the school gets very quiet. We have class until noon and half of us are done for the day. The other half have a lab working with a production species for an hour or so starting at 1:30. Honestly, I would try to come the night before if you can, spring for a hotel room or stay with a student, and stay at the school with students the next morning if you want to see anything class-wise.
 
I believe Sadie sat in on our PE skills class today, with my mentor teaching. It was a great lecture...wish all the lectures were that good.
 
When I visited, I asked some of the students this question, and I'll put it here, too: what is your typical day's structure? I know everyone has their own thing (some study in the morning, some hit the gym straight out of class, some stay hours after class studying at the school, some study at home, etc...), and what I'm interested in is seeing the variety of ways students structure their days.

For those that exercise regularly (or try to, anyway), when do you exercise? It seems like after class/activities are done for the day it would be a good idea, since I'm sure your brain needs at least a small break from the sheer amount of material you've learned from that day, but I really don't know.

Also, this is tangentially related, but I'll ask it here in the same post: when do you spend time with your own pets?
 
LOL. ok, so I study in the early am for 1-3 hours. then classes, sometimes I study during lunch, then classes. I then go home and play outside with my dogs, take my runners for a run, or walk with my roommate and a couple of the slow poke dogs. then I study, then eat dinner, then study. I take a 5-10 minute break every hour to walk and play with my dogs, and often have a couple sitting with me when I'm studying.

I cook all my meals (and make all my lunches) on weekends, so meals are quick. I also do study on weekends.

I know some students only study on weeknights, and some study only on weekends.

You kind of figure out what works for you.
 
If you're even the slightest bit of a morning person, I would recommend doing your exercises in the morning just because I know when I do, it makes me feel more awake and just overall feel better for the rest of the day. Right after school seems like a good option as well, just because of what you said - a good way to clear your mind. I can't say much about exercising though, since I give priority to sleeping and spending time with my dog and therefore haven't been exercising on a regular basis lately.

My general day is: Wake up, get ready, and take my dog on a brief walk. I would prefer to take her on a longer walk in the morning but I'm really bad about waking up early enough to do that. I usually give her a stuffed kong when I leave (not because I worry about her chewing on stuff when I'm gone - she's 3 and hasn't done anything destructive since she was like 9 weeks old) but more just because it makes me feel slightly less guilty about leaving her if I'm giving her something fun and rewarding to play with, at least for the short amount of time it takes her to get everything out. Then I go to school. I stay at school all day. Sometimes I study during lunch but often I go to rounds or some lunch meeting. Or I just use lunch as a time to chill and hang out. Then when I get out of class, I head home and then spend about an hour just doing stuff with my dog, which consists of: walking her, taking her to this one area near me where I can throw the ball for her and allow her to get some good exercise in, sometimes working on some tricks for mental stimulation, just hanging out with her while she cools off and stops panting from the exercise, and then feeding her. Also, sometime during that time that I'm just hanging out with her or right around when I feed her, I also have my own dinner. Then after that, depending on how much pressure I am feeling to study I'll either try to start studying or I'll watch some TV or something of that nature. Lately, I've been trying to study at home more since when it's cold out it's not comfortable to bring my dog with me to coffee shops and sit outside but often times, depending on the whether, I will go somewhere else to study just to get my dog out of the house. I think she prefers it since she's in the house all day. Then I study, or at least attempt to study for the rest of the night until I get tired. When I get tired, I go to bed.

Weekends are really variability for me. Also, typical days can vary a lot too depending on how many and what tests we have coming up. One thing that stays pretty consistent is the time I spend with my dog right when I get home after classes.
 
Risika, I really admire your commitment to your dog. I remember when we met when I visited that you were talking a lot about how you spend an hour with her every day after class, and I really like that. 🙂

Thank you all for sharing; I've been thinking a lot about possible ways I want to structure my day, and how I will fit in the things that are important to me (studying, my hubby, my kitties, exercise, etc). Y'all are giving me some good ideas.
 
I then go home and play outside with my dogs, take my runners for a run, or walk with my roommate and a couple of the slow poke dogs.

I think it's cute that you have runners and slow poke dogs. 🙂
 
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