The Great Western Wait

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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Aww, thanks, ShelterGirl & everybody else for the sympathy, and a big congrats to those of you who got in! 😀
I'm feeling a bit more upbeat today--and dreaming up things to make my app better for next year (including doing the post-mortem😳). I already busted out the GRE study guide last night and practiced a few problems (math dummy, here!). Maybe someday I'll be there with the rest of y'alls!😉
 
Ok...so after the longest day of lectures, exams, and labs I finally got home to stand in front of the mail box.....and can you believe I had a hard time opening it. I was soooo scared. But it was well worth the wait. I will be joining everyone at Western....... 🙂
 
Accepted here but will giving my spot to someone on the alternate list 🙂 Hope that it helps someone out🙂
 
I got my letter yesterday and...I'm in! This was my third app cycle so I'm super excited that I finally made it. To those of you who will be my classmates this year, congratulations and I can't wait to meet you! To those of you who are waitlisted or didn't make it, hang in there!
 
Epidemivet said:
I got my letter yesterday and...I'm in! This was my third app cycle so I'm super excited that I finally made it. To those of you who will be my classmates this year, congratulations and I can't wait to meet you! To those of you who are waitlisted or didn't make it, hang in there!
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Congrats Epidemivet. I was waitlisted at Western and am really trying to hang in there! Since this was your third cycle, did you do anything different this cycle to improve your odds? Were you waitlisted before?
 
Does anyone know if there's any groups on facebook, myspace, or any other websites for Western people? 😀
 
JerseyLynn said:
Congrats Epidemivet. I was waitlisted at Western and am really trying to hang in there! Since this was your third cycle, did you do anything different this cycle to improve your odds? Were you waitlisted before?
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Thanks, JerseyLynn! I think I was in a better position to be accepted this time around because I got a few more classes under my belt and improved the diversity of my animal-related experience (volunteering at a large-animal shelter). Also, I put a lot of time into preparing for the interview. I reviewed behavioral interview questions that I found online and had an example from my work/volunteer/personal history for every question. The best advice I can give you, and this is not earth-shattering, is to get some feedback from your admissions counselor and do what they suggest to the best of your ability.

I was waitlisted last year and while it was extremely frustrating, I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I feel like I'm really ready for it this year whereas last year I had so much going on I was truly split between really wanting to be accepted and needing a little more time.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that a seat opens up for you!
 
Epidemivet said:
The best advice I can give you, and this is not earth-shattering, is to get some feedback from your admissions counselor and do what they suggest to the best of your ability.

I was waitlisted last year and while it was extremely frustrating, I'm glad it worked out the way it did.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that a seat opens up for you!
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Glad to see a success story. Were you waitlisted at Western last year? I'm definitetly going to talk to an admission couselor and see what they think I should do and find a way to do it! I'm also not sure if I played up my experience as much, with all the work I did in the field at college. I'm also thinking of retaking some courses that I got C+'s in, plus really expanding where I apply to. Still not sure about moving to another state and pursuing a masters so I can at least be in a state with a vet school. I'm not sure if starting a masters would matter if I'm trying to apply again for the next cycle.
Any other successful 2nd time Western applicants out there?
 
Ok, I just have to thank whoever entered their Western interview feedback and compared the interview to a "Barry Manilow concert for the deaf" You made me laugh so hard. :laugh: Hilarious because it's true.
 
Well, JerseyLynn, I'll be reapplying right alongside you (if you don't make it in this round--but you might!!)! 🙄
 
Catnapper said:
Well, JerseyLynn, I'll be reapplying right alongside you (if you don't make it in this round--but you might!!)! 🙄
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I just wish I knew how to make my diversity stand out at this point. Showed horses, worked for a vet, worked with marine life, at a nursing home with companion animals.. Pres. of large pre-vet club, lots of problem solving for me. I was hopeful before, but not now. Seems like I would have gotten in if they thought I was diverse to begin with. I'm lookiing forward to my review and see what it is that kept me out so I can get another interview and try again.
 
I was browsing through this thread and was reminded of the awkward "behavioral based" interview questions at Western. I think the worst question they asked me was "tell us about a time you had to be creative." I responded with an "uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, yeah, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." 😱😕 My second worst question was "tell us about a time you did something wrong, and how you approached it the next time." That one got the old famous "yeah, uhhhhhhhh, yeahhh" answer, too 👎. Both these questions caught me off-guard. We ended up skipping those and coming back to them later. The rest of the questions went pretty well, and I managed to make them laugh a few times 🙂. Did anyone else have any awkward or funny experiences or questions asked at the interview?😕
 
Don't worry, Lab Man, the "Tell us a time you had to solve a problem creatively" killed me too! In my head I was going "I'm creative for FUN, I'm not creative for PROBLEM-SOLVING!" I do all sorts of creative things in my free time but couldn't think of anything that was about problem solving, so I just babbled on about organizing our kennel spaces at work. So boring! I was thinking "Oh god, just shut up, self!" My interviewers just nodded politely. I left the interview feeling horrible, even though the other questions I felt like I answered anywhere from decently to very well.

But I guess I must've proved my mettle, as they accepted me anyway 😀
 
I joined even though I am not in your class 🙂
 
Does anyone know the latest accreditation information? I thought Dean Nelson said at the interview sessions that we should know how the final site visit went by the time we got our acceptances.
 
clawsbeatskin said:
Does anyone know the latest accreditation information? I thought Dean Nelson said at the interview sessions that we should know how the final site visit went by the time we got our acceptances.
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i sent an e-mail to marie asking about this. here's her reply:
"Thank you for your email. You are correct - we had a visit at the end of January. While we haven't received the official written report yet, I was informed that wehave received a two-year limited accreditation. Once we receive the written report,which should be very soon, the College will update the accreditation information onour web site at http://www.westernu.edu/xp/edu/veterinary/accreditation.xml. It ismy understanding that there are a couple of minor things we need to work on beforethey visit again in two years."

not sure what limited accreditation means.
 
biobean said:
not sure what limited accreditation means.
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http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/coe_classification.asp

"Limited Accreditation2—An accreditation status granted to a college that has specific deficiencies in one or more Standards that affect student outcomes or safety. The deficiencies are considered of a nature that they can be corrected in a reasonable length of time that must not exceed two years. Prior to expiration of this prescribed period, the Council may either review the annual report(s), request that an institutional representative appear before the Council, or conduct a comprehensive or focused site visit to determine if the deficiencies have been corrected.
If at the end of the two-year time period, deficiencies have been corrected and there is evidence to support full compliance, the college may be granted Full Accreditation for the remainder of the accreditation cycle, as determined by the COE. Conversely, if at the end of the two-year time period, the college can provide reasons that must be acceptable by the Council for its inability to comply with all the Standards, the Council may by majority vote extend Limited Accreditation for good cause. Interim measures must be taken to ensure education of DVM students. If the reasons for non-compliance do not have merit, the Council must take immediate action to place the college on Terminal Accreditation."

All the other accreditation definitions can be found through the link above, too.
 
VAgirl said:
http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/coe_classification.asp

"Limited Accreditation2—An accreditation status granted to a college that has specific deficiencies in one or more Standards that affect student outcomes or safety. The deficiencies are considered of a nature that they can be corrected in a reasonable length of time that must not exceed two years.

Thanks for the info. I went back and read the accrediation info. So for now Western isn't accrediated, but got a limited accrediation.
Okay, so does this mean that Western isn't accredited yet, but if corrected within two years, and approved, everyone that has graduated gets accrediation? Otherwise, how can you get licensed?
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JerseyLynn said:
VAgirl said:
http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/coe_classification.asp

"Limited Accreditation2—An accreditation status granted to a college that has specific deficiencies in one or more Standards that affect student outcomes or safety. The deficiencies are considered of a nature that they can be corrected in a reasonable length of time that must not exceed two years.

Thanks for the info. I went back and read the accrediation info. So for now Western isn't accrediated, but got a limited accrediation.
Okay, so does this mean that Western isn't accredited yet, but if corrected within two years, and approved, everyone that has graduated gets accrediation? Otherwise, how can you get licensed?
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You are considered a graduate of an accredited college with the current provisional accreditation and the limited accreditation. All I had to do was take and pass NAVLE, graduate, take and pass CA boards and pay the fees for my Cali license. Then I paid another fee for my Michigan license.
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Does anyone know if Western will accept an online course for the sociology prerequisite? It's the last one I need, and I found an online course through my current university.

As a side note, did anyone notice they updated the online prerequisite list today? I think the only change is that a Nutrition course is now required, but I could be wrong...can't remember what used to be there!
 
clawsbeatskin said:
Does anyone know if Western will accept an online course for the sociology prerequisite? It's the last one I need, and I found an online course through my current university.

As a side note, did anyone notice they updated the online prerequisite list today? I think the only change is that a Nutrition course is now required, but I could be wrong...can't remember what used to be there!
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I would definitely call them to find out if the sociology course will count, especially since it's the last one you need! 🙂
 
clawsbeatskin said:
Does anyone know if Western will accept an online course for the sociology prerequisite? It's the last one I need, and I found an online course through my current university.

As a side note, did anyone notice they updated the online prerequisite list today? I think the only change is that a Nutrition course is now required, but I could be wrong...can't remember what used to be there!
Click to expand...


Yes they do accept online courses. I am taking the online course cultural anthropology to fill that pre-req so I can start in Aug. I would just run what ever one you pick by your admissions counselor just to be sure. I know they didn't have a problem with mine.
 
clawsbeatskin said:
Does anyone know if Western will accept an online course for the sociology prerequisite? It's the last one I need, and I found an online course through my current university.

As a side note, did anyone notice they updated the online prerequisite list today? I think the only change is that a Nutrition course is now required, but I could be wrong...can't remember what used to be there!
Click to expand...

I think nutrition was already a prerequisite. I took an online nutrition course and nowhere on my transcript was it identified as an online course. I don't know if your school is the same but I'm sure it will be fine. You should email Marie.
 
We have a facebook group, for anyone that's interested. Just search "Western vetmed 2012". Can't wait to meet you all! 🙂
 
Looks like they'll be handing out big sibling assignments soon...got an email in my Western box to that effect.

Does anyone know when we'll find out about financial aid awards?
 
clawsbeatskin said:
Looks like they'll be handing out big sibling assignments soon...got an email in my Western box to that effect.

Does anyone know when we'll find out about financial aid awards?
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Some previous threads I had seen here and facebook said that awards most likely won't come out until June... because they are still picking the class of 2012 and the current students are just finishing their finals.

I am not 100% sure though just what I have seen.
 
I seem to have lost how to get into my Western e-mail... any advice? 😛 I'll try calling them but I'm not home during school hours and that makes it tricky.
 
have u lost the instructions on how to log onto ur email? u just go to mail.westernu.edu and ur username is first letter of ur first name plus ur last name unless it's a common name and they've added something fancy to it... then ur password is the last 2 numbers of ur year of birth and last 4 numbers of ur social security number...hope that helps
 
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