UCVM/WCVM c/o 2024

[DRider13]

Hey I'm a first year at UCVM and just wanted to share a general tip that I found helpful during both UCVM and WCVM interviews in the past: don't be afraid to pause! Take a moment to collect your thoughts, regroup and keep yourself from rambling or blurting out a gut reaction when you're having a hard time with a question or you feel your answer is getting off track

Yes. So much this. Sometimes I'll also take a sip of water while I think if I need an extra few seconds to gather my thoughts.

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[oscar_123]

Hey everyone! Has anyone heard anything regarding interviews? I've been watching the med schools, and most of them have either cancelled or some have been moved online because of COVID-19.....but I don't know how UCVM would do an interview online considering the fact it's MMI & essay-based? I mean I highly doubt they'd have in-person interviews now given the circumstances but I just don't know what to think

 

[awesomenessity]

Hey everyone! Has anyone heard anything regarding interviews? I've been watching the med schools, and most of them have either cancelled or some have been moved online because of COVID-19.....but I don't know how UCVM would do an interview online considering the fact it's MMI & essay-based? I mean I highly doubt they'd have in-person interviews now given the circumstances but I just don't know what to think

I haven't heard anything, but as a 4th year we're left out of the loop a lot. The school is in a bit of a panic with classes being cancelled today, so I'm sure they'll update you guys as soon as they figure out the plan moving forward!

 

[oscar_123]

I haven't heard anything, but as a 4th year we're left out of the loop a lot. The school is in a bit of a panic with classes being cancelled today, so I'm sure they'll update you guys as soon as they figure out the plan moving forward!

Thanks! Yeah I'm sure they're trying to figure it out...!

 

[Snurple]

Hey everyone! Has anyone heard anything regarding interviews? I've been watching the med schools, and most of them have either cancelled or some have been moved online because of COVID-19.....but I don't know how UCVM would do an interview online considering the fact it's MMI & essay-based? I mean I highly doubt they'd have in-person interviews now given the circumstances but I just don't know what to think

If you haven't received an email by now (I know a few people didn't get them), they have emailed to say it is cancelled and will be postponed. Beyond that we don't know anything. I personally am going to begin preparing for some kind of online version, as, depending on the spread of COVID-19, it may become inevitable.

 

[oscar_123]

If you haven't received an email by now (I know a few people didn't get them), they have emailed to say it is cancelled and will be postponed. Beyond that we don't know anything. I personally am going to begin preparing for some kind of online version, as, depending on the spread of COVID-19, it may become inevitable.

Yep, got the email shortly after I posted. Same tbh. I don't even think we're anywhere near the COVID-19 peak & it may be a month at least (although I'm sure a lot longer) before things actually resolve

 

[MBgirl]

I wonder if WCVM will hold off on sending offers out now? Or what their approach will be with interviews?

 

[oscar_123]

I wonder if WCVM will hold off on sending offers out now? Or what their approach will be with interviews?

I didn't apply (Alberta resident) there but I'm guessing they're probably figuring out what to do. There's a very slim chance they're doing in-person interviews. Idk if they would possibly change the interview process/selection (are there usually 2 rounds of interviews?)

 

[prairiegirl_99]

I didn't apply (Alberta resident) there but I'm guessing they're probably figuring out what to do. There's a very slim chance they're doing in-person interviews. Idk if they would possibly change the interview process/selection (are there usually 2 rounds of interviews?)

There are usually two sets of interviews and also in-province interviews last year were set for the end of May.

 

[prairiegirl_99]

Just received an email from WCVM application team, they say they are not sending out interview information until the COVID-19 situation is under control.

 

[oscar_123]

Anyone hear anything else from UCVM? I'm paranoid I'm not getting emails.

 

[awesomenessity]

Anyone hear anything else from UCVM? I'm paranoid I'm not getting emails.

Lol us students are barely hearing anything from UCVM right now, so don't fret too much

 

[Anon2019]

This is the same for us wcvm students. I'm glad admissions had time to send an update to applicants.

Lol us students are barely hearing anything from UCVM right now, so don't fret too much

Sent from my SM-G965W using SDN mobile

 

[laughtordogtor]

Has anyone received an interview invitation from WCVM and the school just isn't sure of where/when the interviews are happening? Or are the actual interview offers completely postponed as well??? Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!!!

 

[prairiegirl_99]

Has anyone received an interview invitation from WCVM and the school just isn't sure of where/when the interviews are happening? Or are the actual interview offers completely postponed as well??? Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!!!

No interview invitations have been sent out from WCVM so far, they are waiting I guess to see how the COVID-19 situation unfolds. They may have to look into Skype-type interviews moving forward - but that is just a guess on my part. In-person interviews happened late April and May of last year, so that is improbable of happening this year due to the virus outbreak.

 

[isabellawhiting.iw]

Does anyone know the odds of an international (US) student getting accepted to WCVM for vet school? Or has anyone done it since they opened it up?

 

[SkiOtter]

@TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Does anyone know the odds of an international (US) student getting accepted to WCVM for vet school? Or has anyone done it since they opened it up?

No idea, this is the 1st year international students will be allowed to apply. They haven't announced numbers to us yet. This year, they are offering between 10 and 25 non-sponsored seats to Canadians. I'm assuming that the international seats in the cycle after that will be a portion (or all) of that number, but that's just me spitballing so don't take it as gospel.

With the COVID stuff, they have canceled the talk where they normally talk about updates with the admissions program. Maybe once this all calms down they will send a school-wide email with details.

Until the 1st cycle with international applicants happens, there is no way to know how many people apply for whatever number of seats they decide to offer.

 

[s.martian]

Has anyone received an interview invitation from WCVM and the school just isn't sure of where/when the interviews are happening? Or are the actual interview offers completely postponed as well??? Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!!!

I applied this year but havent received an interview invitation yet..... I'm hoping that means the interview offers are postponed!!

 

[s.martian]

EMAIL FROM WCVM REGARDING THIS YEARS APPLICANTS:

"
There are a few items related to admissions for the current year that we would like to outline:

Pass/Fail Grades
- Every university is unique and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic vary especially in terms of options students are being given for the current term's grades. The WCVM Admissions Committee has met to review how best to ensure fairness across the applicant pool given the variety of options students have. Accordingly, the following decision has been made with regards to pass/fail grades:

- Students attending universities who are allowing them the option to change numeric/letter grades to pass/fail may do so. However, the WCVM will not consider a combination of numeric/letter grades as well as pass grades in the current Jan-Apr 2020 term. More specifically, students who choose to change one or more course grade(s) to a "pass" grade will have all courses for the current term considered as "pass". As a result, the current term will not impact the student's overall average (even if grades are displayed for remaining courses).

- In terms of determining a student's best full year average, students opting to change one or more course grade(s) to a "pass" in the current term will result in the current year's average being calculated from grades obtained in the fall (Sept-Dec 2019) academic term assuming the current year meets the full year definition (minimum of 24 credits, or 8 one-term courses completed in the Sept-Apr term).

Notes/Considerations:

1. Students receiving pass grades beyond their choice (e.g., decided by professor or institution) will be permitted to use remaining numeric/letter grades from the current term. However, it is the student's responsibility to inform the WCVM Admissions Office of these instances by May 15, 2020 as verification will be required from the professor/institution.

2. Students completing courses for credit/pass in the current term irrespective of COVID-19 grading provisions must ensure these grades are clearly identified to the WCVM Admissions Office by May 15, 2020 to ensure the term is recognized appropriately.

3. Students receiving a "Fail" or grade below 50% in any course may provide the WCVM Admissions Office a written explanation of circumstances by May 15, 2020. These circumstances will be considered on an individual basis to determine whether the failed grade is included in both the overall and current year's averages.

Deadline for Grades - May 15/20
The deadline for unofficial grades from the current academic term to be sent by email (from yourself) to the WCVM is May 15. If you foresee any concern with meeting this deadline, you must contact the WCVM Admissions Office.

Interviews
All interviews will be moved to an online format for the current admissions cycle. Tentative interview dates are the last week of May and first week of June. Please note, interview offers will not be sent until we've determined specifics details of how they will be convened.

Final Admissions Decisions
To the best of our knowledge, at this time, the WCVM doesn't anticipate significant delays in notifying applicants of final decisions relating to admissibility to the DVM program beyond our usual dates - mid to late June. Note: This doesn't account for wait list movement that can take place throughout the summer months.

We hope this information is useful and timely. As there are changes or updates, we will continue to keep you informed. "

 

[Snurple]

UCVM has finally updated us, but I know a couple people have not received the letter for some reason. I don't think there's any reason why I can't share it, as theoretically it should be made public soon anyway (one would hope?). It doesn't fit on here in one post, but if anyone needs to see it feel free to slide into my DMs and give an email address, and I'll forward it to you.

The TL;dr version is:
They're using the GPA they used to give you your interview.
It's worth 45%
They're using CASPer
It's worth 45%
References are now worth 10%

Tentative date of May 28.

 

[DRider13]

UCVM has finally updated us, but I know a couple people have not received the letter for some reason. I don't think there's any reason why I can't share it, as theoretically it should be made public soon anyway (one would hope?). It doesn't fit on here in one post, but if anyone needs to see it feel free to slide into my DMs and give an email address, and I'll forward it to you.

The TL;dr version is:
They're using the GPA they used to give you your interview.
It's worth 45%
They're using CASPer
It's worth 45%
References are now worth 10%

Tentative date of May 28.

So they're not doing any sort of MMIs or interviews at all? Interesting.

 

[oscar_123]

So they're not doing any sort of MMIs or interviews at all? Interesting.

nope, no essay or MMI interview

 

[Snurple]

So they're not doing any sort of MMIs or interviews at all? Interesting.

Correct. Interesting is definitely one word that describes it!

I feel pretty weird about it. Like, I think even adding a 10m Zoom panel interview would be beneficial for them to get to know us. From what I can find online about the CASPer, the school will just get a numeric score for each person who takes it. People who've been the interviewers at UCVM who I've talked to always said the MMI is about getting to know candidates as people. I don't see how the CASPer can replace that.

But it's a desperate and exceptional (in a bad way) year, so I can't fault them. I'm sure they thought long and hard about this, and for whatever reason, they've decided this is the best option. I'm just trying to remain glad and grateful that we still get a chance and they're planning on taking the 2024 cohort in.

 

[MBgirl]

Anyone else DYING to hear from WCVM? It's killing me now that things have settled down. It'll be interesting to see how this whole situation effects the average! Good luck to everyone waiting patiently (or impatiently like me!) to hear!

 

[reesespieces99]

Update from WCVM today says approx. half the interview offers have been sent...
Nervous bc I haven’t heard anything yet, has anyone in MB gotten interview offers?

 

[MBgirl]

Update from WCVM today says approx. half the interview offers have been sent...
Nervous bc I haven’t heard anything yet, has anyone in MB gotten interview offers?

I'm in the same boat

 

[Shawzy]

I received an interview offer from WCVM on friday. I am an applicant from the BC pool if that helps anyone! Fingers crossed for all of you.

Does anyone have tips or information about the WCVM interview process?

 

[DRider13]

I received an interview offer from WCVM on friday. I am an applicant from the BC pool if that helps anyone! Fingers crossed for all of you.

Does anyone have tips or information about the WCVM interview process?

If you read back on this thread (and WCVM/UCVM threads from past years) you will find extensive advice answering this question. I answered this question in detail on page 1 or 2 of this thread. Hopefully that helps!

 

[Snurple]

For anyone who has applied to UCVM this year and will be taking the CASPer on May 28, the University of Calgary Pre-Veterinary Students’ Association will be hosting two (identical) Zoom CASPer information/solidarity sessions on Tuesday May 5th, and it is open to UCVM applicants outside of the club!

The sessions will begin at 10AM and 7PM (MST). The first ~30-60m will be a presentation from the 2019/20 club president (ahem, me ). After that there will be time for questions and answers, and if we answer all those, some Zoom socialization for anyone who is into it!

Big caveat: none of us have taken the CASPer, we have no "secret" information. The vast majority of the presentation will contain information that’s relatively easy to find online. What we ARE offering is:

• All the information you may have come across online filtered and condensed for what will be most relevant for us.
• Solidarity, as we’re all on this journey together!
• Getting to see some human faces, if you’ve been cooped up at home for weeks!

We are encouraging people to enable their audio and webcams, as we all miss interacting with humans, and who knows, maybe some of us will be seeing a ton more of each other for the next 4 years! Why not get some facial recognition in early? (But if you are shy or don’t have necessary hardware, you’re still welcome to join us! You can watch/listen/participate in the chat!)

If anyone is interested, please shoot me a DM with an email address you check regularly, at least 2 hours before the session you're interested in (earlier is better, but I know this is being posted pretty close to the day)! The Zoom link(s) will be sent out via email closer to the presentation times.

 

[westcoastgirl12]

I received an interview offer from WCVM on friday. I am an applicant from the BC pool if that helps anyone! Fingers crossed for all of you.

Does anyone have tips or information about the WCVM interview process?

I am a BC student who just finished first year! Like DRider13 said, past year threads have lots of great interview info. But my inbox is open if you have any specific questions!

 

[mooz&meows]

Hi there! I'm a first year WCVMer that graduated from UBC. The 'prestige' of the university doesn't matter, they do not take into account where you have gone to school before, or what program you may have graduated from. I went to UBC, did my first two years in a Bachelors in Science program (Biology Major) before switching to a more applied biology major (more research, animal welfare focused, smaller class size). I definitely give credit of getting into vet school from the applied biology program since I was exposed to a lot more opportunities that were animal focused (not to mention that I would not have gotten the grades needed to be competitive had I stayed in my previous major). But you could get experience anywhere! I had applied to Guelph back in high school and was thinking of obtaining residency there by staying throughout the summers, but glad I stayed in BC in my hometown as well.

Hello,
I was trying to message you and ask some questions if it is okay since I am in the same program but I wasn't able to message you is it okay if I ask some questions? I would really appreciate it!

 

[HelloSunshine96]

I also just finished my first year at WCVM and am happy to answer any questions you guys might have!!

 

[GlitteringMoose]

Hello Everyone! I was just wondering if anyone who recieved an interview offer to WCVM would like to practice for interviews. I don't know anyone else applying but I would be happy to meet some other applicants. DM me if you would be interested! Thank you!

 

[s.martian]

Hello Everyone! I was just wondering if anyone who recieved an interview offer to WCVM would like to practice for interviews. I don't know anyone else applying but I would be happy to meet some other applicants. DM me if you would be interested! Thank you!

Me!!! I'd be interested !!

 

[GlitteringMoose]

Me!!! I'd be interested !!

Messaged you!

 

[Anon2019]

Also another WCVM student who just finished first year. If anyone has any specific questions feel free to message me. I have all the info I used to prep for my interview last year and would be happy to pass some of it along. Good luck everyone

 

[BoopLover<3]

I’m a current first year student at WCVM (BC Applicant). That whole application cycle is still fresh in my mind, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Hello, I was wondering if you have any tips on how to prepare for the interview?

 

[MBgirl]

Has anyone received any second round offers yet? I have a feeling they'll be sent out today.

 

[reesespieces99]

Has anyone received any second round offers yet? I have a feeling they'll be sent out today.

I received my interview offer today!

 

[BoopTheSnoots]

Hello, I was wondering if you have any tips on how to prepare for the interview?

Go over previous forums to get an understanding of the interview structure, go over your application in detail and be able to speak to your experiences (what you did, what you learned).

I would say the best prep is mock interviews, so if you're able to set one up with a vet, or current vet student, that would be the best since they've been through the interview process.

For more details feel free to PM me

 

[BoopTheSnoots]

Hello,
I was trying to message you and ask some questions if it is okay since I am in the same program but I wasn't able to message you is it okay if I ask some questions? I would really appreciate it!

PM-ed you!

 

[laughtordogtor]

@BoopTheSnoots i was also trying to message you about interview prep, but it said I could not! I saw that you mentioned you would be willing to share some interview tips would you mind messaging me as well?

 

[BoopTheSnoots]

@BoopTheSnoots i was also trying to message you about interview prep, but it said I could not! I saw that you mentioned you would be willing to share some interview tips would you mind messaging me as well?

PM-ed you, sorry, I've changed my settings

 

[snotenf]

I was accepted UCVM 2022, took a non traditional path, happy to answer any questions!

I have so many questions! What was the toughest part being a non-traditional applicant? Did you have any issues with the school not accepting any coursework? Did you have to complete additional coursework to apply? I'm currently trying to find an online biochemistry course that does not have a number of pre-reqs!

I'm considering applying next year but would also be a non-traditional applicant. I started undergrad in 2010 so many of the required courses will be more than 10 years old.

 

[sage.eyes]

I'm struggling with one specific question that seems to come up in interviews sometimes, and am wondering if anyone has ideas on how to answer: Why are MDs paid more than DVMs?
I'm thinking along the lines of overhead expenses of private practice for DVMs and also the difference between human public health worth vs animal private health value (being paid what the taxes vs. the market will meet, but this would only be true in Canada with public health care). Any thoughts?

 

[Flashthesloth]

I'm struggling with one specific question that seems to come up in interviews sometimes, and am wondering if anyone has ideas on how to answer: Why are MDs paid more than DVMs?
I'm thinking along the lines of overhead expenses of private practice for DVMs and also the difference between human public health worth vs animal private health value (being paid what the taxes vs. the market will meet, but this would only be true in Canada with public health care). Any thoughts?

Thank you Sage. I would never think about this question if you didn't bring this up. I don't know the answer, but I will share one question that I was asked during the interview before in return for the question you shared.

"what stress do you think a vet will experience?"

 

[DRider13]

I'm struggling with one specific question that seems to come up in interviews sometimes, and am wondering if anyone has ideas on how to answer: Why are MDs paid more than DVMs?
I'm thinking along the lines of overhead expenses of private practice for DVMs and also the difference between human public health worth vs animal private health value (being paid what the taxes vs. the market will meet, but this would only be true in Canada with public health care). Any thoughts?

Veterinary care for pets is paid for out of the client's pocket. Medical care for humans is subsidized by the government via our tax money (in Canada). As a result, we take a hit on our salary because it basically comes out of what our clients pay for care.

 

[Snurple]

Good luck to all the UCVM applicants writing the CASPer in 2.33 hours!!

 

[s.martian]

Hope interviews went well for everyone!!!