Opinions on application? Considering Ross/SGU.

[vettechtodvm]

Long story short, I'm a Canadian student and I'm struggling to get into the vet school in my region (UPEI/AVC). I've been finding it very hard to get feedback from admissions on my application. I'd love to get some feedback on how I might be able to improve on my application. I'm currently considering Ross/SGU/possibly Europe for this application cycle.

Education:

I completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) with a major in Biology. I graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.34. Unfortunately, chemistry has never been my strongest subject and I gained a few not-so-great grades from chemistry courses.

I've also completed an Associate Diploma in Veterinary Technology and I'll be eligible to write the VTNE this fall in order to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. I graduated with a cumulative GPA of 89.167% - my transcript does not have a four point scale GPA listed. All in all, I completed the program with only two courses having grades below an "A".

Experience:

I've spent the last 2 years working full-time as a veterinary technician (on the job trained while attending school) in a general practice/daytime emergency clinic. Over the last two years, I've done and been responsible for everything that an RVT would be. My clinic has been great in allowing me to grow and learn as a student. At this point, I have well over 3000 veterinary-related hours. I truly feel like my working experience and prior education would be advantageous to me while pursuing a DVM, but I'm definitely finding that your grades are a true deal breaker at UPEI.

I also have experience with marine life (invertebrates and mammals). This includes husbandry and training activities. I worked at this location for approximately 3 years in different capacities as a student, usually part-time. I don't recall exactly how many hours I completed here, but it definitely exceeded 500.

I have a small amount of equine experience through a riding facility that I volunteered with. However, I gained much more equine experience during tech school.

Applications:

I applied to UPEI for the last two years. My first application was with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 within my BSc. I did not have any in-clinic experience, and had minimal veterinary technology schooling. I received a generic feedback email stating that my average was calculated to be lower than those offered admission. I did ask for a further breakdown, and I was quite surprised when I received that information. Multiple courses used were not the courses that I expected - some were for credits that I had specifically tried to upgrade and improve in. I feel it's important to note that prior to taking the courses that I intended to use as replacements, I did reach out to UPEI to ensure that those courses would fit the appropriate requirement.

The second application follows my stats from above. The only feedback I received was that my average was calculated to be lower than those who were offered admission and those who were deemed alternates. While I can appreciate that, they did use some odd courses in my first application (that did bring my average down by a fair amount), so I'm very intrigued to see what courses were used this year. I'm still waiting to hear back with any additional feedback.

At this point, I don't know if it's worth it to continue applying to UPEI. I have an application submitted via VMCAS for Glasgow, Ross, and SGU. I have met Glasgow grads and I know that they are amazing veterinarians. However, I do not know any Ross or SGU grads. I've seen less judgement and stigma towards those schools in recent years, but I'd love to hear some more thoughts on that, as well. The biggest thing holding me back from Ross/SGU is this apparent judgement surrounding them, simply because I know that I would be interested in pursuing a specialty down the road. One veterinarian that I work with essentially said that specializing would be the only time that my educational institution would matter, and I definitely don't want my future career prospects to be affected by something so... trivial.

Any input/advice/suggestion would be greatly appreciated

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[JaynaAli]

I’m not Canadian so take this with a grain of salt, but my understanding is that Canadians get WAY cheaper tutition at their regional schools and to go the international route would make veterinary education so so so much more expensive. Like double or triple (or more?) the cost of staying in Canada? I understand why you’d be considering schools like Ross and SGU if you aren’t getting in to your “in-state”, but my understanding is that Canadian salaries trend a bit lower than US salaries, so if you do decide to go the international route, I’d be darn sure you’ve really looked at the debt and how that will impact your finances after veterinary school. I personally do not believe this is a degree worth putting yourself into that much debt and I’d encourage you to keep trying at your Canadian option and/or consider plan Bs. Other people might disagree and think it’s worth it. I can’t make that decision for you, but given the differences between a Canadian school and international tuition, I implore you to truly consider the debt and if you’ll have the ability to live the lifestyle you want/need and still manage the debt you’ll have post-graduation if you go to a school like SGU or Ross.

 

[vettechtodvm]

I’m not Canadian so take this with a grain of salt, but my understanding is that Canadians get WAY cheaper tutition at their regional schools and to go the international route would make veterinary education so so so much more expensive. Like double or triple (or more?) the cost of staying in Canada? I understand why you’d be considering schools like Ross and SGU if you aren’t getting in to your “in-state”, but my understanding is that Canadian salaries trend a bit lower than US salaries, so if you do decide to go the international route, I’d be darn sure you’ve really looked at the debt and how that will impact your finances after veterinary school. I personally do not believe this is a degree worth putting yourself into that much debt and I’d encourage you to keep trying at your Canadian option and/or consider plan Bs. Other people might disagree and think it’s worth it. I can’t make that decision for you, but given the differences between a Canadian school and international tuition, I implore you to truly consider the debt and if you’ll have the ability to live the lifestyle you want/need and still manage the debt you’ll have post-graduation if you go to a school like SGU or Ross.

I appreciate the input! Unfortunately, Canadian schools are a little different to American schools in that you can only apply to the school in your region. So, being from eastern Canada, I can only apply to one Canadian school. There are very few seats allocated to my province each year. Currently, there's little to no way that I can improve my pre-requisite grades for at least 3-4 years, as that is when my courses will begin to "expire". As it stands right now, I have little hope in getting into my Canadian option. Their initial focus seems to be almost solely based on grades when allocating interviews. Two of my pre-requisite courses have lower grades than I would like. Given how competitive admissions are, especially from my province (which has been stressed to me by the admissions office), I'm choosing to stop wasting time on waiting. Mind you, I don't think age should be a deciding factor for anyone when it comes to changing their career goals. But, I already have my goals in mind and I have options that I can pursue rather than wait for the next application cycle.

My "plan B" is already in motion, as I am currently an on-the-job trained veterinary technician and will soon be eligible for registration. My employment is secured and I do not have any concerns about that right now. I am content where I am in the event that vet school becomes improbable. I also have a scientific and research-based background, should I choose to pursue graduate studies and leave the field completely.

I have discussed this with multiple co-workers who attended the schools that I'm currently considering and have discussed their debt and income to the greatest extent that they've been comfortable sharing. While it is a disadvantage, it is not something that I'm currently deeming as a deal breaker. Veterinary medicine is a field that I am extremely passionate about. I have known from the beginning that pay is not great, and that I will never necessarily be "well-off". I chose to begin as a technician with the intention of pursuing vet school. It's funny that you mentioned that you don't think this is a degree that is worth going into that much debt for. I just had a conversation with one of my favourite DVMs about my decision, and how it will be worth it to leave the country if it means I get to pursue my dream. Thankfully, my partner is also extremely supportive of me and my decisions, and fully recognizes what our future is likely to look like.