Tufts University c/o 2024

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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OOS accepted! I got rejected by UPenn (which was originally my #1) five minutes after my Tufts interview, and Tufts quickly became my #1. Everyone was super nice and I loved the campus. I am so relieved, but I know it is super hard for those who got waitlisted. Keep hanging in there!

Stats-wise:

Overall GPA: 3.58 (although my last 45 hours were a 3.99)
Science GPA: 3.3
Vet Shadowing Hours: ~350 at the time of applying; although I kept shadowing for a bit and have around 500+ now
Animal Experience: well over 10,000 hours
Research Hours: 6000 hours
Degrees: B.S. in Biological Sciences with an English Minor, MBA

With all that being said, my interviewers said they cared less about shadowing hours than most schools and did a really comprehensive look at the application. I was also D1 athlete with USOC National Team Invites for 2 sports and did quite a bit of volunteering in addition to being a working student at my barn, so they definitely look at the whole package.

For those that got accepted, are any bringing their horses with them? I plan on bringing my pony, cat, and dog, but need to find a good place to board my pony. I'm sure it'll be discussed more once they bring the accepted people together, but I am trying to get a head start since I am all the way in Alabama.
 
JHG said:
OOS accepted! I got rejected by UPenn (which was originally my #1) five minutes after my Tufts interview, and Tufts quickly became my #1. Everyone was super nice and I loved the campus. I am so relieved, but I know it is super hard for those who got waitlisted. Keep hanging in there!

Stats-wise:

Overall GPA: 3.58 (although my last 45 hours were a 3.99)
Science GPA: 3.3
Vet Shadowing Hours: ~350 at the time of applying; although I kept shadowing for a bit and have around 500+ now
Animal Experience: well over 10,000 hours
Research Hours: 6000 hours
Degrees: B.S. in Biological Sciences with an English Minor, MBA

With all that being said, my interviewers said they cared less about shadowing hours than most schools and did a really comprehensive look at the application. I was also D1 athlete with USOC National Team Invites for 2 sports and did quite a bit of volunteering in addition to being a working student at my barn, so they definitely look at the whole package.

For those that got accepted, are any bringing their horses with them? I plan on bringing my pony, cat, and dog, but need to find a good place to board my pony. I'm sure it'll be discussed more once they bring the accepted people together, but I am trying to get a head start since I am all the way in Alabama.
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I’d love to bring my horse but boarding looks to be $700+, so I don’t think it’s going to be feasible for me. I have to do some more digging, but let me know if you find more reasonable places!
 
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One of my classmates has had his horse nearby for all of school -- I can ask him what he pays for board if you want.

$700 is super cheap for the area, though, and I would almost side-eye that listing/would be skeptical of what you'd be getting. I used to pay $1300 for my pony a few towns over.
 
PippyPony said:
One of my classmates has had his horse nearby for all of school -- I can ask him what he pays for board if you want.

$700 is super cheap for the area, though, and I would almost side-eye that listing/would be skeptical of what you'd be getting. I used to pay $1300 for my pony a few towns over.
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That’s unbelievable. Board where I live is 450-650 depending on how nice of a facility you want.
 
megatron05 said:
That’s unbelievable. Board where I live is 450-650 depending on how nice of a facility you want.
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Wow. I would still have my horse if I could pay $450/month haha

Land is expensive in MA, unfortunately, and there aren't many farms anymore. It's a little better on the far west side of the state, but property taxes are high, cost-of-living is high, hay is often brought in from other states and is expensive, shavings are expensive, yada yada.

Keep in mind that Tufts is really only about 50 min from Boston, so it's still definitely within the suburbs of a major metro area. The $1300 place I used to board was also really posh -- I had to have my horse at a place with impeccable fencing and barn maintenance because he is destructive. (Thx pony).
 
PippyPony said:
Wow. I would still have my horse if I could pay $450/month haha

Land is expensive in MA, unfortunately, and there aren't many farms anymore. It's a little better on the far west side of the state, but property taxes are high, cost-of-living is high, hay is often brought in from other states and is expensive, shavings are expensive, yada yada.

Keep in mind that Tufts is really only about 50 min from Boston, so it's still definitely within the suburbs of a major metro area. The $1300 place I used to board was also really posh -- I had to have my horse at a place with impeccable fencing and barn maintenance because he is destructive. (Thx pony).
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Gotta love ponies!! Thanks for the information. Much appreciated! I really love tufts but I’ll have to find a home for my guy if I decide to go there!
 
megatron05 said:
Gotta love ponies!! Thanks for the information. Much appreciated! I really love tufts but I’ll have to find a home for my guy if I decide to go there!
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I'm planning on asking if I can work off some of the board if possible. But I am originally from California, where board is wildly expensive. I currently work off my entire board now, so paying for board will definitely hurt, but I am working this year and setting aside pretty much all of my money from this year to pay his board. Another option may be leasing out your horse too! (Although that is it's own can of worms) I'll let you know once I find out more on pricing.
 
For those that got accepted, are any bringing their horses with them? I plan on bringing my pony, cat, and dog, but need to find a good place to board my pony. I'm sure it'll be discussed more once they bring the accepted people together, but I am trying to get a head start since I am all the way in Alabama.
[/QUOTE]

Hello JHG and Congratulations on your acceptance! I am a V'23 at Tufts right now, and I brought my horse with me so I figured I could chime in on the conversation. I personally found a place that is 30 minutes from campus and I pay $350 (which was a complete diamond in the ruff) but I supply my own grain and take care of the barn sporadically when the owner is away. It also has no arena - which is fine for my lame horse. I will say while it was difficult to find reasonably priced places, they are out there. You can certainly find places for $700 or less, just don't expect the fanciest barn you've ever seen. Several of my classmates who brought their horses pay $650-750 for full board within 10 minutes of school - but those places also have arenas and full care. I would put up an ISO post on "Horse Boarding in MA" facebook group -- I got lots of responses that way and certainly had several good options offered to me in the $450-600 range. Honestly, having spent a semester and a half with my horse 1/2 hour away -- it is a bit far and I find myself wishing I had gone for one of the $450-500 options, which were significantly closer as I would be able to see her more often than I do now. First year is definitely as time consuming as everyone warns you it will be, so keep that in mind when finding a barn and determining how far you are willing to travel.

Anyway, I just want you to know it is possible to bring your horse (and dog for that matter -- I brought three ). I know the steps of finding housing and horse boarding can be daunting, but it will all work out in time!
 
PinkKongToy96 said:
Hello everyone! I’m a first year at Tufts. I know you’re all awaiting your decisions, and I do have a good feeling that today will be the day... I was really surprised you didn’t hear yesterday. But I do know that admitted students day will be on March 23, so try to plan for that if you can, once you find out if you got in! Let me know if anyone has questions, as I am currently procrastinating studying for my exams 🙂))
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Do you know when they will give us info about admitted students day?
 
What do people do with their dogs all day? I know that there's usually a lunch break for students to go home and let them out, but do students ever get dogs together to hangout for the day so they're not alone? I've heard of students at other schools doing this
 
Futuredogtor95 said:
What do people do with their dogs all day? I know that there's usually a lunch break for students to go home and let them out, but do students ever get dogs together to hangout for the day so they're not alone? I've heard of students at other schools doing this
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My dog goes to daycare most days especially on long days and she'll be there every day of the week if there's an anatomy exam that Friday. It's expensive but required in order for me to have her because she's young and needs a lot of exercise.

Most people go home during lunch but I like have my lunch free.
 
Dinashadow said:
My dog goes to daycare most days especially on long days and she'll be there every day of the week if there's an anatomy exam that Friday. It's expensive but required in order for me to have her because she's young and needs a lot of exercise.

Most people go home during lunch but I like have my lunch free.
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How much does it usually cost out there? If you don’t mind me asking
 
what kinds of activities go on during the admitted students day? the email said spending time in the anatomy lab and more information to come, but I was curious if we’d be seeing something along the lines of “what to expect as a student here”
 
kittylady03 said:
what kinds of activities go on during the admitted students day? the email said spending time in the anatomy lab and more information to come, but I was curious if we’d be seeing something along the lines of “what to expect as a student here”
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You can ask questions of the first year students, other panels. I’m trying to recall but it’s been a bit 🙂
 
I remember there being some similarities to the info sessions/tours on interview days, but I think there were more comprehensive talks about financial aid and the curriculum offerings, and maybe also student Q&A panel...?
 
Last year they had a welcome thing and they talked about the shelter med. program and the IVM certificate. We also had a student panel during lunch where we could ask questions and we went to the anatomy lab where there were some first year students showing us some dissecting and we always saw some pathology stuff which was done by one of the pathologists.

I don't remember it in great detail because my cat blocked that morning and had surgery so I was a bit distracted but I still had a good time.
 
Any IS students planning on declining? I'm IS waitlisted and not sure how much the list usually moves
 
WonderingStudent said:
Are all of the courses listed for each year core courses that everyone has to take? Are there any elective courses?

DVM Curriculum – Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University

vet.tufts.edu vet.tufts.edu
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Those are the core courses, and yes -- all of the ones listed are mandatory for all students.

If you're looking at the second year curriculum and now thinking it looks completely insane... it is, but it's not as bad as it looks. The courses in vet school are different from undergrad. Some of those listed courses only run for ~4-5 weeks, or even just a few days.

Tufts does have electives though! For years 1-3, Tuesday afternoons are dedicated to Selective courses, which can be "official" selectives that are like traditional elective classes, or self-designed selectives (which can be all kinds of things, including spending time at local clinics/zoos/wildlife rescues). Each student is required to complete 3 selective credits in addition to the core curriculum. There should be more detailed info on Selectives if you poke around on the website.

In spring of 3rd year, there are a few specialty electives offered (essentially just extra lectures added on to core curriculum courses like Equine & Camelid Medicine), and there is a week dedicated to elective labs/sessions. For my elective week, I spent time at our satellite ER in Walpole and also did some behavior trainings & got my Fear Free certification.
 
Did any current students that attended the accepted students day find it helped you make a decision if you were deciding among multiple schools? Did they have different/more in depth information than they did on your interview day? And do you feel like it was a good chance to meet your potential fellow classmates? Thank you in advance for anyone that wants to tackle this!
 
Amid many schools shutting down their in-person classes, do you still think the Accepted Applicant day is still occurring? I know Tufts undergrad has switched to online classes.
 
JHG said:
Amid many schools shutting down their in-person classes, do you still think the Accepted Applicant day is still occurring? I know Tufts undergrad has switched to online classes.
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I would say it is likely canceled. All of the Tufts campuses are moving online (including the vet school) starting after spring break, which they extended to the 25th. The clinical students are still going to be there in the hospital, though. I doubt, if they are keeping all of the current pre-clinical students home and off of campus, that they would allow admitted students day to happen, unfortunately! Who knows though. Hopefully you guys get more info soon!
 
Vetstudent96 said:
I would say it is likely canceled. All of the Tufts campuses are moving online (including the vet school) starting after spring break, which they extended to the 25th. The clinical students are still going to be there in the hospital, though. I doubt, if they are keeping all of the current pre-clinical students home and off of campus, that they would allow admitted students day to happen, unfortunately! Who knows though. Hopefully you guys get more info soon!
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I called to ask earlier, and she said they're sending out an email later. So I'm guessing that it will most likely be canceled 😢
 
Please do reach out with any questions -- either on here, or better yet, by directly contacting the school. I'm sure admissions is bummed about having to cancel the day and would be happy to put you in touch with current students or professors over email/phone/etc
 
Did anyone start looking into housing? I started contacting people for 1br units, and one of them said that he also has a 4br townhouse in Grafton. I didn't ask for the price, but his 1br listing is not expensive. He said that the townhouse is cat-free but dog-friendly (weird policy). I don't know if I am allowed to post email address and personal info here, so if you are interested, I might send you his contact info somehow...
 
🙁 Admissions finally sent out the update two hours ago that Admitted Students Day will be live-streamed/recorded
 
sallyandsam said:
Did anyone start looking into housing? I started contacting people for 1br units, and one of them said that he also has a 4br townhouse in Grafton. I didn't ask for the price, but his 1br listing is not expensive. He said that the townhouse is cat-free but dog-friendly (weird policy). I don't know if I am allowed to post email address and personal info here, so if you are interested, I might send you his contact info somehow...
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Oh on this note -- one of my good friends in my class is suddenly looking for a roommate starting now-ish. PM me if you want details. He's prooobably not a serial killer...? 😉 (Mild allergy to cats, though.)
 
OOS acceptance! Excited to meet you guys in the fall and looking forward for whats to come.
 
OOS acceptors, why did you choose Tufts over your IS? I'm struggling with my decision. I like Tufts more than my in-state, it has a much higher hospital caseload, newer and larger facilities, near my undergrad and friends, and SO's job. With SO and I's salaries out of school, it would only take a year or two longer to pay off Tufts than my IS but I still am not sure if the cost difference is worth it.
 
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