Texas A&M c/o 2020 Applicants

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animalrie said:
Will we get some kind of proof of enrollment from A&M?
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I don't remember getting anything from the College, but you can download/print proof of enrollment from Howdy. The link is: howdy.tamu.edu. If you aren't a former A&M student, you should be set up with a UIN and such soon to access this site and others. There's a link under the "My Record" tab that is called Verification of Enrollment.
 
Has anyone else had trouble getting to the CVM scholarship application? The link given in our packet does not seem to work.
 
I would contact Jamie Wigington. I'm not sure what the due date for you guys is, but it has already passed for the rest of us. Either way, she should be able to help you out!
 
poopooface123 said:
how and when are we going to be notified about loans and grants?
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Sometime over the summer. I think I've usually heard by mid-late June. Though, I did get an extra scholarship in July last summer...so...June to July, I'd say.
 
epivetlove said:
So, as someone who relies entirely on loans--yes, it's enough. You can only apply up to the COA which is lower than the direct unsubsidized amount. I think COA for 1VM was around $37,000. You're able to request a different COA if you have children, medical issues, etc. But what you can get is enough unless you like to eat out a lot, go to bars, travel, live alone, things like that. I have more expenses that the average student due to being older, but I've had plenty of money this past year by living with roommates that I was able to take out several thousand dollars less than first year (when I lived alone).

Hope that helps!
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Thank you so much! This does help and relieve some anxiety I had about whether I could afford living alone.
 
Does anyone know anything about a deposit to hold our seat in the class of 2020? I have heard that we are supposed to put a ~$500 deposit down at some point to hold our seat. There was nothing about it in the acceptance packet, so I just wanted to confirm that this is really something we have to do. I know other schools do it, but I was wondering when we will hear about it? Does it go towards our tuition?

Just don't want to lose my seat over a deposit that I didn't get the link to 🙂
 
There are no deposits, at least that I can 100% guarantee for in-state. I didn't pay anything last year until tuition was due!
 
How do you go about accepting your seat if you are out of state?
 
Your packet should've included a sheet that will allow you to sign and accept your spot in the incoming class
 
VWBUGLUV said:
How do you go about accepting your seat if you are out of state?
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Did they offer you a spot!?! I remember you saying you were OOS alternate.


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LKatMG said:
Did they offer you a spot!?! I remember you saying you were OOS alternate.


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Unfortunetly no. I was just curious to see how the rate of other people accepting/declining there spots would be affected if there wasn't a deposit at stake.
 
Under the costs list on the CVM website supplies is approximately $1500. Do we get a list at any time of supplies we should purchase?
 
DouglasVet said:
Under the costs list on the CVM website supplies is approximately $1500. Do we get a list at any time of supplies we should purchase?
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You'll get one in the summer, I think closer to July/August, but I honestly don't remember when. Until then, here is a short list of things that I found helpful or not helpful regarding supplies.

Personally, I love having three pairs of coveralls and three lab coats. It gives me a gross pair, a nice pair (for correlates) and an extra. People get away with fewer, and I would only have two pairs of coveralls, but a friend gave me a third pair which have actually come in handy for me. Both the coveralls and coats are (at least currently) well-priced at VESST (the supplies store), but if you want long sleeved coveralls (this can be really nice for anatomy and definitely something I would buy if I had it to do over), then you'll have to look elsewhere.

I recommend having a penlight, thermometer, and stethoscope (ours were gifts from TVMA so they were free, if that doesn't change then you won't need to buy one-yay) and the dissection kit. As far as some of the other tools they listed, I've either rarely used them or haven't at all, not to say they won't come in handy at some point, I just found those four to be the ones used most often.

Stock up on gloves early on. It's easy to run out of them and then forget to get them at the store when you're grocery shopping... or at least it's easy for me to do that haha. I go through them quickly and like to have extras in my coats/coveralls just in case, so the boxes add up.

I don't remember them being on the list, but some form of rain/muck boots for large animal anatomy (which isn't until spring) and for husbandry rotations. They'll get pretty nasty in anatomy so you may want to not use the ones you're the most attached to.

I don't remember what mine totaled to-I think it was less than 1500, but I could be wrong. I did buy quite a few books, but I hit up half price really hard and saved quite a bit that way. Now reading most of them is a different story.

Hope this helps!
 
VWBUGLUV said:
Unfortunetly no. I was just curious to see how the rate of other people accepting/declining there spots would be affected if there wasn't a deposit at stake.
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I was told that they would not start notifying alternates that spots have opened up until mid April.


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LKatMG said:
I was told that they would not start notifying alternates that spots have opened up until mid April.


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I dont expect to hear anything until April. However, they told me the OOS list moves a little earlier. So my hope is to hear sooner, however it will prob be april. I will definitely let you know if and when I hear something. I try to call every once and a while to check the status of the list.
 
epivetlove said:
I got it covered under immunizations. I also did it through the A&M Student Health Services since I had the school's insurance (which was still BCBS TX). I can try and find my packet where I wrote down what codes the vaccines were billed under. I got everything fully covered, which was very nice since I was a super poor graduate student at the time. Not that I'm not still poor. I was just even more poor back then.
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How did you sign up for the student insurance? I didn't do my undergrad at A&M so I don't know the process you go through to enroll in the student health insurance through the school. Being that it is through the school, was it more affordable as compared to purchasing BCBS on your own? Thanks!
 
duhkwin said:
How did you sign up for the student insurance? I didn't do my undergrad at A&M so I don't know the process you go through to enroll in the student health insurance through the school. Being that it is through the school, was it more affordable as compared to purchasing BCBS on your own? Thanks!
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You sign up here: https://tamu.myahpcare.com/ I'm not sure when the next open enrollment period is as I don't carry the school-sponsored insurance anymore. I had it for the 13-14 and 14-15 school years, but switched over to the Market Place because of price. I think it's around $200/mo for the school insurance now and I pay about 1/4th of that. It's important to note that for BCBSTX, PPO plans are no longer offered in the state under Market Place. You can only get HMO...so, that kinda sucks. This is my first year having an HMO (they switched over at the end of 2015), so I can't comment on it yet. The school insurance is BCBS PPO.
 
epivetlove said:
You sign up here: https://tamu.myahpcare.com/ I'm not sure when the next open enrollment period is as I don't carry the school-sponsored insurance anymore. I had it for the 13-14 and 14-15 school years, but switched over to the Market Place because of price. I think it's around $200/mo for the school insurance now and I pay about 1/4th of that. It's important to note that for BCBSTX, PPO plans are no longer offered in the state under Market Place. You can only get HMO...so, that kinda sucks. This is my first year having an HMO (they switched over at the end of 2015), so I can't comment on it yet. The school insurance is BCBS PPO.
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Awesome! Thanks!

I've had the HMO plan through the Market Place with BCBS, and in my experience it was perfectly fine. I think I selected the plan that was almost identical to the PPO plan that I had through my employer. The main difference I could see was that a few less doctors accepted it, but BCBS is good with being accepted among many doctors. Everything else pretty much stayed the same to me as far as co-pays. My long time PCP still accepted the HMO so I was fine in my case. Of course all of this is dependent on what plan you select and what company you choose, but if you have BCBS HMO, you should be fine 🙂
 
i'm having a hard time finding apts and roommates. how do you guys find where to live?
 
poopooface123 said:
i'm having a hard time finding apts and roommates. how do you guys find where to live?
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I'd check the Facebook page. There's a google doc going around somewhere with rooms and roommates, I'm not sure if it's made it onto the 2020 page yet though.
 
Last edited:
So I think a question similar to this was asked last year but I'd like to get some fresh perspectives. If I brought a horse to CS with me, would I have time to ride and train with her? She's experienced and would do okay only being ridden 3-4 times a week but I'm worried that I'll be too busy to ride. Also, does anyone know of good/affordable places to board in CS? Ideally where other vet students board their horses...

Thanks!
 
animalrie said:
So I think a question similar to this was asked last year but I'd like to get some fresh perspectives. If I brought a horse to CS with me, would I have time to ride and train with her? She's experienced and would do okay only being ridden 3-4 times a week but I'm worried that I'll be too busy to ride. Also, does anyone know of good/affordable places to board in CS? Ideally where other vet students board their horses...

Thanks!
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It all depends on what you're involved in and the amount of time it takes for you to study to get the grades you want. I got to ride more first semester than this semester which is a bummer, but it also makes me enjoy it more when I go out to the barn. If you don't get to ride as much as you want, it's definitely still possible to stay in riding shape with working out, which is what I try to do, especially since sometimes I don't have me time until late at night and unfortunately I can't ride at 10 or 11 pm haha. First semester you may be able to ride more, and I was planning to specifically designate Friday nights as riding time after tests, but it turns out, I'm honestly exhausted after tests and it wouldn't be fair to expect any horse to deal with me being a sac of potatoes like that haha. Plus I enjoy it more when I'm rested and not stressed about school... even though those moments are few and far between. First year is all about balance, but a lot of people said they got to ride more and more as the years went on, except maybe fourth year in clinics. It definitely helps my mental health a lot, but for me personally, I can't ride 3-4 times a week, even though I'd love to, but some of my classmates can and do.

As far as barns go, there's a lot of students that board and ride, but aren't on this page so I recommend posting on Facebook so you have a better chance at finding what's best for you. There's places ranging from cowboy country where you can live in a house there and have a stall and paddock for your horse along with arenas and everything, even though you'll have to do at least some barn chores (I've had friends that lived there and loved it and it seemed really nice) to full care facilities. There's more options for Western riding available than English, but you should be able to find somewhere that works for you. Keep in mind that some places aren't super close to campus, so you'll have to factor that in too when considering time management.

In vet school you make time for what's important, and even though I barely get to ride sometimes, I make time for it when I can and it helps keep me sane. It's easy to get overcommitted first year, but you'll end up figuring out what works for you as you go along. 🙂
 
LivesintheLibrary said:
It all depends on what you're involved in and the amount of time it takes for you to study to get the grades you want. I got to ride more first semester than this semester which is a bummer, but it also makes me enjoy it more when I go out to the barn. If you don't get to ride as much as you want, it's definitely still possible to stay in riding shape with working out, which is what I try to do, especially since sometimes I don't have me time until late at night and unfortunately I can't ride at 10 or 11 pm haha. First semester you may be able to ride more, and I was planning to specifically designate Friday nights as riding time after tests, but it turns out, I'm honestly exhausted after tests and it wouldn't be fair to expect any horse to deal with me being a sac of potatoes like that haha. Plus I enjoy it more when I'm rested and not stressed about school... even though those moments are few and far between. First year is all about balance, but a lot of people said they got to ride more and more as the years went on, except maybe fourth year in clinics. It definitely helps my mental health a lot, but for me personally, I can't ride 3-4 times a week, even though I'd love to, but some of my classmates can and do.

As far as barns go, there's a lot of students that board and ride, but aren't on this page so I recommend posting on Facebook so you have a better chance at finding what's best for you. There's places ranging from cowboy country where you can live in a house there and have a stall and paddock for your horse along with arenas and everything, even though you'll have to do at least some barn chores (I've had friends that lived there and loved it and it seemed really nice) to full care facilities. There's more options for Western riding available than English, but you should be able to find somewhere that works for you. Keep in mind that some places aren't super close to campus, so you'll have to factor that in too when considering time management.

In vet school you make time for what's important, and even though I barely get to ride sometimes, I make time for it when I can and it helps keep me sane. It's easy to get overcommitted first year, but you'll end up figuring out what works for you as you go along. 🙂
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Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply! This helps a lot 🙂
 
VWBUGLUV said:
Unfortunetly no. I was just curious to see how the rate of other people accepting/declining there spots would be affected if there wasn't a deposit at stake.
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Waitlist is moving. I'm #3 IS and got a call from Yolanda today!


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LKatMG said:
Waitlist is moving. I'm #3 IS and got a call from Yolanda today!


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Wow! Congrats I am very happy for you! I called today and unfortunately, it seems the OOS list is not moving much. I am now number 2 on this list. 🙁 I really hope it works out and we can be classmates.
 
VWBUGLUV said:
Wow! Congrats I am very happy for you! I called today and unfortunately, it seems the OOS list is not moving much. I am now number 2 on this list. 🙁 I really hope it works out and we can be classmates.
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Thank you! I hope it all works out. Fingers crossed!


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Does anyone know what the class size will be?
 
130 is the minimum. It's possible that you'll get a few that could have deferred from Class of 2019. Our class started out at 134. I think the class below us started out at 132.
 
More questions: is there an orientation or something for everyone to meet each other before school officially starts?
 
VWBUGLUV said:
More questions: is there an orientation or something for everyone to meet each other before school officially starts?
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Yep. There's a 3 day orientation right before classes start.
 
for the incoming freshmen year students, what do you guys recommend to buy in advance? sunch as scrubs, lab coats, and stethoscope?
 
poopooface123 said:
for the incoming freshmen year students, what do you guys recommend to buy in advance? sunch as scrubs, lab coats, and stethoscope?
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I'd recommend all those things except the stethoscope, as you should be given one at the beginning of your first semester. Unless you want something fancier, but you won't really be needing it that much the first 3 years to justify buying something, imo.
 
poopooface123 said:
for the incoming freshmen year students, what do you guys recommend to buy in advance? sunch as scrubs, lab coats, and stethoscope?
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I would also say have some scrubs you like for things like correlates, etc. and some that you just don't care about, because formaldehyde doesn't wash out of anything and some of my scrubs will be retired after this year. For coveralls, the price that VESST (they'll send you more info about that later) sells them at is really good, but I wish I had bought one pair of long-sleeved coveralls because the lab can be cold and sometimes I just wish my whole hand wasn't in the cadaver, but they also give you palpation sleeves, so you could do that too.
 
Other than the class FB page, is there a good place to look for roommates (preferably grad students)? I think I'm gonna have a tough time finding a vet student roommate cause my cats don't get along with dogs.
 
Hey everybody! I'm so nervous and excited for this week. I cant believe decision day is on friday. I will know my fate by the end of the week.😱
 
animalrie said:
Other than the class FB page, is there a good place to look for roommates (preferably grad students)? I think I'm gonna have a tough time finding a vet student roommate cause my cats don't get along with dogs.
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You can try Aggie Search, and make a posting there or search for people looking for renters. That's how I usually look for roommates outside of the vet school.
 
i sent my paper works confirming my acceptance . should i call the office to make aure they have receiverd those?
 
So I saw we talked about this before but I need a little more detail since I havnt recieved my packet yet. What is the real deal with this anatomy workshop. Did those of you who did not take it have serious regrets? I am from very far out of state and I am not sure if taking it would be worth it. However, I did not major in an animal related science at my undergrad, as that was an not an option. I dont want to start off vet school behind...... So give me your thoughts everybody
 
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