UC Davis c/o 2017 Applicants!!!!

[TigerWillow]

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I will NOT have this be the last thread up. Thank Abney for that.

Feel free to speak up here about any questions you have! I know that they are changing a lot of things about admissions so hopefully we will be able to help you once c/o 2016 starts (in about a month!!! )

 

[nyanko]

Yeah, I was speaking with a faculty member who works with admissions and has for a number of years, and it does sound like they're going to do things very radically different this year.

 

[wldlfstdnt]

Yeah, I was speaking with a faculty member who works with admissions and has for a number of years, and it does sound like they're going to do things very radically different this year.

Yep. I was talking to a now 2nd year student this weekend and she said be prepared.

 

[TigerWillow]

Yeah, I was speaking with a faculty member who works with admissions and has for a number of years, and it does sound like they're going to do things very radically different this year.

Guess it makes sense. Overhaul curriculum = overhaul admissions

 

[texguyincali]

i say 'bring it on!'

 

[mooshagen]

Just glad I got in this year :/ haha

Sent from my SCH-I510 using SDN Mobile

 

[anotherbusybee]

These changes are terrifying.

How will the interview process work now that they've turned to MMI? Some specific examples would be great (i.e. instead of XXX, they will now do XXX).

And how does PPI work? Do I have to send my evaluators two separate links now? *sigh* This whole process just got a lot more complicated, didn't it...😕

And will we REALLY know by January?!?!? That's crazy!

 

[mooshagen]

The January thing seems unreal to me... This is still California budgets we're talking about here! Would be awesome if you guys did hear that early though.

 

[OwlandPussycat]

Haha, it's pretty unfortunate that this thread appears to be mostly populated by c/o 2016. We didn't go through the new interview/application format, and we're not yet in the loop at Davis.
Or at least, I'm not. I can offer moral support, at least!

 

[CorporateFatCat]

Yay c/o 2017!!!! Best of luck to UC Davis applicants. I was told by a vet I worked with who spoke with the Dean recently that the changes in admissions is an attempt to have better student retention. Seems like some BIG changes. Hopefully us 2016ers can still answer admission questions.

 

[heylodeb]

These changes are terrifying.

How will the interview process work now that they've turned to MMI? Some specific examples would be great (i.e. instead of XXX, they will now do XXX).

And how does PPI work? Do I have to send my evaluators two separate links now? *sigh* This whole process just got a lot more complicated, didn't it...😕

And will we REALLY know by January?!?!? That's crazy!

Hopefully you'll get an interview and you can tell us all about it! 😀

Seriously, though, they will tell you at least vaguely what to expect and in the meanwhile you can google MMI to learn more about it and what your experience will be like. (A lot of medical schools use MMI if I've understood correctly)

You guys will need to rely pretty heavily on asking the actual admissions office your questions and then reporting them back here for others. Welcome to the world of being a guinea pig! (and oh, how I know it well!!!!!)

Davis used to be a very traditional process. Fill out application in October, wait to hear about interview/rejection in February, have 30 minute interview in March/April, wait for acceptance/rejection in April....

 

[nyanko]

Davis used to be a very traditional process. Fill out application in October, wait to hear about interview/rejection in February, have 30 minute interview in March/April, wait for acceptance/rejection in April....

Used to be a very traditional curriculum too.

Changing with the times...

 

[happymochii]

has anyone actually gone through a MMI before? From what I've read so far, for each interview you have to read a prompt and say what you think about it, and it could range from ethical issues to all sorts of things.

Any thoughts?

 

[Emiloo4]

has anyone actually gone through a MMI before? From what I've read so far, for each interview you have to read a prompt and say what you think about it, and it could range from ethical issues to all sorts of things.

Any thoughts?

There are one or two other schools that do it. Texas A&M and VMRCVM if I recall correctly, and I know a few Canadian schools do... I think there may be a thread on it, let me see....

This might help (its allo, not vet but)
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-760114.html

Here is one from VMRCVM (not much though)
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=762994

Here's one from Calgary
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=706803


Hope that helps a little

 

[RetroUnicorn]

I just called the admissions office to ask whether or not they received my GRE scores, and the lady told me that because of the changes, it's a huge mess over there right now. She said that they're going to create a portal where you can check the status of everything, but wasn't sure if it would be before or after the VMCAS application deadline. It didn't even sound like she was sure about what was going on over there either... 😕

Just letting everyone know, in case any of ya'll plan on calling them in the near future

 

[TigerWillow]

Well.... The portal sounds like a good idea actually instead of frantically calling them and getting the same email over and over stating that they will tell you when it's missing.

 

[happymochii]

There are one or two other schools that do it. Texas A&M and VMRCVM if I recall correctly, and I know a few Canadian schools do... I think there may be a thread on it, let me see....

This might help (its allo, not vet but)
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-760114.html

Here is one from VMRCVM (not much though)
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=762994

Here's one from Calgary
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=706803


Hope that helps a little

it does help, thanks!

 

[adams30]

So as of right now I am considering applying to UC Davis. Researching their website I see that it says the supplemental application will become available online by Oct 15th and due by Nov 2nd. Since that is barely 3 weeks to complete that supplemental application and it's during the time when school is in session (my semester is pretty full) I'd like to plan ahead for it/know what to expect if at all possible.

Does anyone who applied to UC Davis before remember how long/what the supplemental app consisted of? I just want to know what I am getting myself into here. Thank you 🙂

 

[nyanko]

Sadly, this is the first year for the supplemental application. Hopefully when they say "by" October 15th they mean before that.

 

[adams30]

Sadly, this is the first year for the supplemental application. Hopefully when they say "by" October 15th they mean before that.

ahh okay. I wasn't sure if they had a supplemental app in the past especially with all of their new changes. I'll keep an eye out for it then. Thanks for your help!

 

[happymochii]

does ucdavis put a lot of emphasis on the hours of vet/animal experience? i know the average is around 3000 which is absolutely CRAZY and i know i have no where near that much. Does anyone know anybody that got in with substantially less hours?

 

[mooshagen]

I got in with 950.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using SDN Mobile

 

[adams30]

does ucdavis put a lot of emphasis on the hours of vet/animal experience? i know the average is around 3000 which is absolutely CRAZY and i know i have no where near that much. Does anyone know anybody that got in with substantially less hours?

I was wondering that too. On their website it says
Evaluation criteria
Grades - Science GPA and Last 45 units
GRE Quantitative scores
PPI Evaluations
MMI Interview

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/students/dvm_program/admissions/Admission_timeline.cfm

I'm sure that they take the vet experience into account but I'm not sure how much. I emailed them today asking so once I hear back from them I will let you know what they say.

I sure don't have 3000 hours of vet experience either lol.

 

[happymochii]

I was wondering that too. On their website it says
Evaluation criteria
Grades - Science GPA and Last 45 units
GRE Quantitative scores
PPI Evaluations
MMI Interview

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/students/dvm_program/admissions/Admission_timeline.cfm

I'm sure that they take the vet experience into account but I'm not sure how much. I emailed them today asking so once I hear back from them I will let you know what they say.

I sure don't have 3000 hours of vet experience either lol.

It's always comforting to know that there are others like me Thanks for emailing them, I can't wait to hear their response 👍

 

[TigerWillow]

I got in with 950.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using SDN Mobile

I got in with 1450 but I let them know during my interview I was still striving for more. I also got all of those within a year though while working at another job and going to school so maybe they gave me some slack?

 

[RetroUnicorn]

It's more like 3000 hours of animal AND vet experience, not just vet. Plus, a lot of people put down animal ownership or living on a farm, which is over 1,000 already.

 

[adams30]

It's more like 3000 hours of animal AND vet experience, not just vet. Plus, a lot of people put down animal ownership or living on a farm, which is over 1,000 already.

Ah I see. I know that some schools like Illinois don't count pet/animal ownership as part of animal experience (from what I've been told). I guess each school is different. 3000 for both vet and animal sounds more reasonable.

 

[August West]

Ah I see. I know that some schools like Illinois don't count pet/animal ownership as part of animal experience (from what I've been told). I guess each school is different. 3000 for both vet and animal sounds more reasonable.

Hours owning a pet being included as preparing oneself for becoming a veterinarian seems like a ridiculous concept. I find it hard to imagine people would include this expecting the admission boards to be impressed. 😎

 

[texguyincali]

honestly yes, i think they are going to be looking more at actual vet experience rather than pet ownership. I am pretty sure they wont take pet ownership hours into account at all.

 

[anotherbusybee]

You know, I read through some of the MMI stuff, and I'm starting to like it 🙂

It seems like MMI is less about trying to figure out who you are and what your experiences were. Rather, they're trying to see HOW you think, how you approach problems, thinking out loud. It sounds awesome! I love to do that anyways, and it gets rid of some of the pressure since there's no way to prepare aside from a lifetime of thinking critically about ethical/social/medical issues. Seems like a much more accurate predictor of one's future professional career, too.

Not happy about the rest of the changes, though. The focus on the GRE Quantitative is unfortunate, IMO. And the supplement? Eugh...

 

[OwlandPussycat]

I do think that they look at more in your experience hours than just the flat number. Quality of hours, what you got out of them, the circumstances under which you got them, etc may be noted. This is more a statement about vet school apps in general than about ucd, because I'm genuinely not sure how they do it. As I understand , if you're a little short in one area (eg hours), being above average in another (eg gpa) can help. But it's more than just a numbers game. Davis seems to be putting a lot of effort into looking at the qualitative, rather than quantitative, attributes of their applicants.

 

[mooshagen]

A good piece of advice I got about UC Davis, and so far I think I agree, they want to accept people who are unique.

And in general, a great variety of hours, not having 500 hours at each practice goes a long way. As a rule, one should strive to have atleast 200-300 hours with any vet that is going to write for you (advice from Cornell).

 

[ilovezeefishies]

I noticed that the UCD site says that you need a letter of rec from a vet in your area of interest (e.g. small animal, large animal etc) My question is, do you think it is worth it to ask for a letter from someone in your direct area of interest even if it may not be as good of letter? I have two veterinarians I could ask, and both are in fields that I am interested in. One is research. and one is fish directly. I want to apply under fish (I know I know I'm crazy :] ) but that would require me to get a letter from the vet that I have not worked with as much. I have worked more with the researching vet and think that letter would be stronger than I could get from the fish vet. What do you guys think? Any opinions in general?

 

[Trying2GetIn]

does ucdavis put a lot of emphasis on the hours of vet/animal experience? i know the average is around 3000 which is absolutely CRAZY and i know i have no where near that much. Does anyone know anybody that got in with substantially less hours?

I got in with 350 total veterinary hours. 175 in small animal and 175 in equine. Point being, it is not the end all to have significantly fewer than the average. With that said, I wish I did have more experience because I'd definitely be the better off for it.

 

[heylodeb]

The important thing is to remember that is an AVERAGE not a MEAN. I had 1200 and they mentioned that my hours were more than sufficient. The year that I applied the first time, I only had 300 and I was told I needed more hours. It's all a numbers game and quite frankly - if you are qualified, it becomes a crapshoot.

The only thing I can say for Davis that I was told is that they want you to have mostly hoursin your area of interest and then hours in different areas to show you understand the vet field as a whole. (I did this by volunteering for the school in the Equine Surgery service running horses in 100 degree heat for lameness exams, lol)

Good luck guys

 

[CorporateFatCat]

If it helps anyone, I had 3300 total vet hours. But I hit the ground running after getting rejected once from UC Davis for having lower vet experience hours in my area of interest as well as lower GRE scores. I wasn't going to take my chances 🙂. You can't have too much experience.

 

[TigerWillow]

Geeze CFC. So you shall be my go to girl for all the hands on stuff I will probably miserably fail at.

I had about 1400 I believe. And a lot (about 1/3) of those were from a vaccine clinic (but I'm really good at restraining for vaccines and blood tests. Yippee).

 

[CorporateFatCat]

Geeze CFC. So you shall be my go to girl for all the hands on stuff I will probably miserably fail at.

I had about 1400 I believe. And a lot (about 1/3) of those were from a vaccine clinic (but I'm really good at restraining for vaccines and blood tests. Yippee).

I'm a super freak, what can I say? And we're going to need to teach you how to lock up a bike first 😉.

 

[OwlandPussycat]

I applied with 5300 vet hours, and a few hundred wildlife rehab hours, but this obviously isn't necessary to get in. I always worried that the rest of my applications (e.g. GPA, extracurriculars, variety of experience) wasn't very competitive, so I wonder if having so many hours helped tip the scales in my favor.

 

[TigerWillow]

I'm a super freak, what can I say? And we're going to need to teach you how to lock up a bike first 😉.

You make me look like I have no experience with bikes!!!!!

I had one bike stolen in sophomore year (water polo ritual). You can only fool me once!

 

[ANY2003]

Someone is going to have to teach me how to ride a bike in the street. This gives me extreme anxiety. My bike was stolen when I was 11, and that was the end of that. So I obviously need some practice!

Also, according to the statistics on the website, the MEAN number of VETERINARY-RELATED hours was 3,000. So I don't think that animal hours counted. But I got in with only 2000, but I made sure to mention that I was also doing a 6 mo internship that would earn me an additional 500 hrs, as well as continuing to work 30hrs/week at my small animal hospital.

 

[OwlandPussycat]

I've heard that the first few weeks of class at UCD are prime time for bike accidents. Avoid anyone who looks like a first-year!

 

[TigerWillow]

At my school, it was avoid all the girls who were rushing sororities (I can say this. I was one). Those heels make them SO uncoordinated.


But I could bike standing up, in heels, slow bike, and carry someone 150 pounds on my handlebars. I've got skills (on beach cruisers)

 

[RetroUnicorn]

I've heard that the first few weeks of class at UCD are prime time for bike accidents. Avoid anyone who looks like a first-year!

Anyone other than a hipster on a road bike is a danger at Davis haha

 

[nyanko]

I've heard that the first few weeks of class at UCD are prime time for bike accidents. Avoid anyone who looks like a first-year!

The undergrads won't be there for over a month after you guys start, so you have plenty of time to un-noob yourselves before they show up and attempt to kill themselves and each other on bicycles.

 

[CorporateFatCat]

The undergrads won't be there for over a month after you guys start, so you have plenty of time to un-noob yourselves before they show up and attempt to kill themselves and each other on bicycles.

Yes, be wary of bike circles on the main campus towards the end of September. THAT is scary. Until then you guys should be solid.

 

[heylodeb]

Or just drive a gas-guzzling F-250 and mow the bikers out of your way.

 

[CorporateFatCat]

Or just drive a gas-guzzling F-250 and mow the bikers out of your way.

If this car drive into a group of Aggies, will there be any damage to the car? Thanks, Borat.

 

[anotherbusybee]

So, I keep hearing that Davis (and other vet schools, in general) want "unique" applicants.

What on earth does that mean for a kid like me?! 🙁 I mean... I feel like the way I see the world and the way I conduct myself is unique from other people. For example, I strongly believe in science and education as tools for social justice, and I've tried to live out my ideals by creating outreach programs and classes. But how on earth do I express this genuinely in a sincere, yet tangible, way? I don't just want to brag about it to "prove" that I'm "unique" or whatever. Yet, I do want adcoms to understand where I'm coming from and to see that it is a special and intrinsic part of who I am. However, for various reasons, I was unable to include this into my general personal statement. So, how do I explain this?? Where do I explain this?... This application process has made me so emotionally insecure LOL

Also, I posted up my stats and experiences, etc. in the "What are my chances?" thread, just in case anyone is interested. But, essentially, I feel like what makes me unique is really my outlook on life and how veterinary medicine fits in with that. But I don't know how or where to express it fully.

 

[HelloNello]

So, I keep hearing that Davis (and other vet schools, in general) want "unique" applicants.

What on earth does that mean for a kid like me?! 🙁 I mean... I feel like the way I see the world and the way I conduct myself is unique from other people. For example, I strongly believe in science and education as tools for social justice, and I've tried to live out my ideals by creating outreach programs and classes. But how on earth do I express this genuinely in a sincere, yet tangible, way? I don't just want to brag about it to "prove" that I'm "unique" or whatever. Yet, I do want adcoms to understand where I'm coming from and to see that it is a special and intrinsic part of who I am. However, for various reasons, I was unable to include this into my general personal statement. So, how do I explain this?? Where do I explain this?... This application process has made me so emotionally insecure LOL

Also, I posted up my stats and experiences, etc. in the "What are my chances?" thread, just in case anyone is interested. But, essentially, I feel like what makes me unique is really my outlook on life and how veterinary medicine fits in with that. But I don't know how or where to express it fully.

I responded in the what are my chances thread, but I am going to add here.

I think you need to brag because other people are going to brag. Now is not the time to be humble! 😉 (This being said there is a fine line between being proud and being cocky. I recommend having other people review your writing to make sure you aren't coming off as the latter). The place to talk about what makes you unique is in your personal statement, supplemental, and interview. They want to know what makes you you? Why should they pick you over somebody else? What do you have to offer their school? You are over-thinking the being unique thing (I would know because I do it too). Spend some time brainstorming what makes you special and why. If you couldn't fit your values etc. in your personal statement then consider putting it in your supplemental if there is a space for that (Don't know what the supplemental includes yet).

You need to believe that you are a competitive and deserving candidate because if you don't then why should the adcoms believe it? I know it is a stressful time, but remember how hard you have worked to get to this point and what a long way you have come. You can do it!😀