UF c/o 2021 Applicants

[floridajl]

Figured I'd start this out, since Florida is my home. Hello all hopeful future Gators!

I've lived in Florida (Orlando) basically my whole life and have spent many hours exploring the state. I don't know much about the Gainesville area, but if anyone has any questions about Florida in general I'd be happy to answer them.

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[cdo96]

I'm applying to UF as well! How's the weather usually like? (I understand if it's super variable- I've lived in Texas and spent the past 2 years in Oklahoma, so I understand weather fluctuations)


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[ilikecake]

I'm applying too! I'm OOS, and UF is my first choice as of right now 🙂

 

[OtterMayhem]

I'm applying to UF as well! How's the weather usually like? (I understand if it's super variable- I've lived in Texas and spent the past 2 years in Oklahoma, so I understand weather fluctuations)


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It's hot, ALL THE TIME. Oh except for like the week of cold Florida gets haha. When it's raining, expect to see sunshine in an hour.


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[cheathac]

I was thinking Florida too. What's the cost of living ?


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[cdo96]

It's hot, ALL THE TIME. Oh except for like the week of cold Florida gets haha. When it's raining, expect to see sunshine in an hour.


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Gross. I guess I should check the weather. I deal with hotness over here, but then again we also get cold as well..

 

[OtterMayhem]

I was thinking Florida too. What's the cost of living ?


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I think it depends when you're coming from, what your standard of expensive is and what kind of place you'd like to live in. Some people need that washer and dryer, others don't. Overall though, it's not bad. You can find a place for under $1000 for a 2 bedroom and lower for a 1 (I never looked for a 1 bedroom so idk). Usually water, cable and electric is all up to you in most places.


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[lhmhtd]

I'll be applying to UF as well. I lived in Pensacola for about 5 years and loved it- graduated from U of West Fla. It's no longer my IS, but I'd like to get back down there.

 

[OtterMayhem]

Gross. I guess I should check the weather. I deal with hotness over here, but then again we also get cold as well..

It gets into the 30s but it only lasts in the morning then goes to 60 or 70 for the rest of the day. Those days are amazing, but they don't last long. It's usually the 80-90 days like right now.
Also, if you like Chicago style pizza and the BEST and I mean the BEST garlic knots ever, check out Leonardo's pizza when you're in the area!!


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[cdo96]

It gets into the 30s but it only lasts in the morning then goes to 60 or 70 for the rest of the day. Those days are amazing, but they don't last long. It's usually the 80-90 days like right now.
Also, if you like Chicago style pizza and the BEST and I mean the BEST garlic knots ever, check out Leonardo's pizza when you're in the area!!


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Mmmmm Chicago style pizza. My Chicago roots are excited to try that (my dad's side is all from that area)


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[FeenyFee]

FL is my IS! Really hoping to be a FL Gator! 🙂

 

[Coopah]

I'm trying for Florida too, OOS. Does anyone know how heavily they weight vet equine experience? I heard it was pretty heavy, and I don't have any .

Also, for their prerequisite sheet it says "For those courses whose laboratory is included in the course write, "INCL" on the "grade earned" section." Does that mean only put INCL for the whole line or fill out everything with the same course number and instead of a grade put INCL?

 

[RoryCat]

I'm trying for Florida too, OOS. Does anyone know how heavily they weight vet equine experience? I heard it was pretty heavy, and I don't have any .

Also, for their prerequisite sheet it says "For those courses whose laboratory is included in the course write, "INCL" on the "grade earned" section." Does that mean only put INCL for the whole line or fill out everything with the same course number and instead of a grade put INCL?

Last year, I re-listed the course number and the institution for the labs and just put INCL for the grade. Don't know if that was correct or not but that's what I did.

 

[ilikecake]

I'm trying for Florida too, OOS. Does anyone know how heavily they weight vet equine experience? I heard it was pretty heavy, and I don't have any .

Also, for their prerequisite sheet it says "For those courses whose laboratory is included in the course write, "INCL" on the "grade earned" section." Does that mean only put INCL for the whole line or fill out everything with the same course number and instead of a grade put INCL?

I hope they don't weigh equine too much! I live in a pretty metropolitan area where it's extremely hard for me to get experience with horses/large animals. All I have is horseback riding experience from when I was younger- I hope this is enough!

 

[floridajl]

I'm applying to UF as well! How's the weather usually like? (I understand if it's super variable- I've lived in Texas and spent the past 2 years in Oklahoma, so I understand weather fluctuations)


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Basically just repeating everything kmonte has said, but figured an extra perspective would help to back it up. 🙂 I've actually spent the last three years (off and on) in Oklahoma, and will be moving there for a full-time job in two weeks! I'd say the weather is pretty similar to OK, but I'm just south of Norman/OU and don't know any of the other areas' weather. FL doesn't get as hot, as in very rarely over 100, but the humidity is KILLER. I'd take a 115 day in OK over a 95 day in Florida any time, and I work outside with little shade. It rains wayyyy more in Florida. Pretty much every single day in the summer, but like kmonte said it never lasts. I've literally had it be downpouring with black skies out the front window of my house, and totally dry with blue skies and sunshine out the back window - not even an exaggeration, it's actually really cool to see. Winters are fantastic because they don't really exist. They're exactly as kmonte described.

Cheathac, rent is what I consider reasonable. Easily pay 500 or less per person if you live with roommates. 1 bd apartments usually go for 600-1000, which is a huge range but depends on how nice.

Ilikecake, I have very little equine as well, for the same reason. But I'm hoping they won't mind as long as we're strong candidates in other areas.

Glad to see so many natives and OOS-ers! Best of luck to everyone!

 

[Bracco Pointer]

I'm a Gainesville native. What's been said about the weather is definitely true. I will beg to differ about the winter (like I said... native, my freezing point is 60°F). A chilly day anywhere else turns into a horrible wet cold that goes down to your bones. Thankfully, though, like all Florida weather it's short lived. 😉

As for the equine experience, I had only about 10 hours and got into Florida first try. Like most places, they look at the whole picture. However, if you tell them you want to be a horse vet you should have the experience to back it up.

 

[floridajl]

I'm a Gainesville native. What's been said about the weather is definitely true. I will beg to differ about the winter (like I said... native, my freezing point is 60°F). A chilly day anywhere else turns into a horrible wet cold that goes down to your bones. Thankfully, though, like all Florida weather it's short lived. 😉

As for the equine experience, I had only about 10 hours and got into Florida first try. Like most places, they look at the whole picture. However, if you tell them you want to be a horse vet you should have the experience to back it up.

Haha, I know the feeling. If it's below 70, you bet I'm bundled up as much as I can be! That's reassuring about equine hours. And congratulations!!

 

[OtterMayhem]

Basically just repeating everything kmonte has said, but figured an extra perspective would help to back it up. 🙂 I've actually spent the last three years (off and on) in Oklahoma, and will be moving there for a full-time job in two weeks! I'd say the weather is pretty similar to OK, but I'm just south of Norman/OU and don't know any of the other areas' weather. FL doesn't get as hot, as in very rarely over 100, but the humidity is KILLER. I'd take a 115 day in OK over a 95 day in Florida any time, and I work outside with little shade. It rains wayyyy more in Florida. Pretty much every single day in the summer, but like kmonte said it never lasts. I've literally had it be downpouring with black skies out the front window of my house, and totally dry with blue skies and sunshine out the back window - not even an exaggeration, it's actually really cool to see. Winters are fantastic because they don't really exist. They're exactly as kmonte described.

Cheathac, rent is what I consider reasonable. Easily pay 500 or less per person if you live with roommates. 1 bd apartments usually go for 600-1000, which is a huge range but depends on how nice.

Ilikecake, I have very little equine as well, for the same reason. But I'm hoping they won't mind as long as we're strong candidates in other areas.

Glad to see so many natives and OOS-ers! Best of luck to everyone!

It's not even funny how accurate this is!!! The humidity is KILLER!


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[OtterMayhem]

PRIME EXAMPLE. It just rained for literally 10 minutes, there's puddles everywhere but the sky looks beautiful and the sun is coming out. Okay Fl.


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[ktjc216]

Hi guys! I just finished my first year of vet school at UF so if you have any questions about the program or Gainesville feel free to ask! I also applied and interviewed at Auburn and Tufts during my cycle and can answer some questions about those schools as well. I wish you all the best of luck!!!

 

[ktjc216]

I'm applying to UF as well! How's the weather usually like? (I understand if it's super variable- I've lived in Texas and spent the past 2 years in Oklahoma, so I understand weather fluctuations)


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The weather for most of the school year is actually really nice! It gets really hot July and August, but you don't really notice it much when you're in school because you tend to be in class during the hottest parts of the day. I'm a native South Floridian and Gainesville's winter was a wake up call for me. There are many days where the high barely reaches 50 (which almost never happens in South Florida) and we actually had it snow one day in February. But the fall and spring time are perfect!

 

[ktjc216]

I'm trying for Florida too, OOS. Does anyone know how heavily they weight vet equine experience? I heard it was pretty heavy, and I don't have any .

Also, for their prerequisite sheet it says "For those courses whose laboratory is included in the course write, "INCL" on the "grade earned" section." Does that mean only put INCL for the whole line or fill out everything with the same course number and instead of a grade put INCL?

They don't specifically weigh on equine hours, they just want to see a variety of hours. They prefer someone who at least has experienced a few different fields of veterinary medicine rather than only one. For example if you had to applicants with identical stats but one had 1000 hours in small animal medicine, but the other had 250 in equine, 240 in lab animal, 10 in emergency, and 500 in small they would prefer the applicant with more diversity. Diversity is a big thing with UF, which is why they have you write a diversity statement for the supplemental application.

 

[ktjc216]

I was thinking Florida too. What's the cost of living ?


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For a one or two bedroom with washer/dryer is typically between $750-$1000. I have a 2/2 apartment to myself that's close to the vet school and I pay $750 a month in rent and about $200 a month for electric, water, and internet (with internet being the most expensive). Though I have classmates who don't mind roommates and pay $400 a month plus utilities. This is much cheaper than rentals in Orlando or West Palm. However the price of food and gas tend to be about 20 cents more than it is in Orlando/West Palm. But overall cost of living is much cheaper than cities like Boston or Miami. The cost of living was a big factor for me choosing UF over Tufts.

 

[FeenyFee]

They don't specifically weigh on equine hours, they just want to see a variety of hours. They prefer someone who at least has experienced a few different fields of veterinary medicine rather than only one. For example if you had to applicants with identical stats but one had 1000 hours in small animal medicine, but the other had 250 in equine, 240 in lab animal, 10 in emergency, and 500 in small they would prefer the applicant with more diversity. Diversity is a big thing with UF, which is why they have you write a diversity statement for the supplemental application.

For the diversity statement I kind of got the vibe that it meant more what makes you deserve as a person - like ethnicity or hardships or whatever and how that has made you who you are today and ready to enter the class. But does it mean diversity in vet/animal experience only?

 

[alpaperart]

Hi there everyone! Just added UF to my list of schools I'll be applying to! =)

Can anyone provide more information on the Animal Science and Animal Nutrition course requirements?

I have taken neither. o.o I understand Animal Nutrition but Animal Science is a bit more ambiguous.

 

[ktjc216]

For the diversity statement I kind of got the vibe that it meant more what makes you deserve as a person - like ethnicity or hardships or whatever and how that has made you who you are today and ready to enter the class. But does it mean diversity in vet/animal experience only?

The diversity statement is what makes you diverse as a person, it doesn't have to be about vet/animal experience at all. I was just saying that as an overall theme, UF loves diversity and encourages it whether it relates to vet med or not.

 

[FeenyFee]

Hi there everyone! Just added UF to my list of schools I'll be applying to! =)

Can anyone provide more information on the Animal Science and Animal Nutrition course requirements?

I have taken neither. o.o I understand Animal Nutrition but Animal Science is a bit more ambiguous.

I took Animal Science at SPC online and its all about food animals + agriculture based stuff. If I remember correctly each unit was divided by a certain animal group like chicken, beef, etc. I'm taking Animal Science so far (about a week in) and it is about companion animals so far and I've been liking it more.

Neither need to be taken before submission of vmcas but they are pretty easy so good GPA boost I think!

 

[cheathac]

I've heard they like equine... however I only have 275 large animal (includes equine) vet hours and 350 or so horse animal experience hours. My app is pretty strong otherwise.. 3.78 GPA, diverse experiences with 1500 vet and 2000+ animal hours. Worth to apply? I know they don't accept many OOS.

 

[ktjc216]

I think you have a strong application. There are many in my class who came in with zero large animal experience. I suggest applying if you find that you really like the program and can see yourself attending UF and being happy with the decision 🙂

 

[alpaperart]

I took Animal Science at SPC online and its all about food animals + agriculture based stuff. If I remember correctly each unit was divided by a certain animal group like chicken, beef, etc. I'm taking Animal Science so far (about a week in) and it is about companion animals so far and I've been liking it more.

Neither need to be taken before submission of vmcas but they are pretty easy so good GPA boost I think!

So I'd have to take both courses online. I'm honestly a little nervous about online courses since I know most of them are at your own pace and I'm somewhat of a procrastinator. =) Where did you take Animal Nutrition?

 

[cdo96]

I've heard they like equine... however I only have 275 large animal (includes equine) vet hours and 350 or so horse animal experience hours. My app is pretty strong otherwise.. 3.78 GPA, diverse experiences with 1500 vet and 2000+ animal hours. Worth to apply? I know they don't accept many OOS.

I might have ~75 hours of LA/ equine vet experience in all, but I'm still applying. Worst thing that could happen is that ad com says no. *shrug*


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[alpaperart]

I think you have a strong application. There are many in my class who came in with zero large animal experience. I suggest applying if you find that you really like the program and can see yourself attending UF and being happy with the decision 🙂

I definitely wouldn't have much large animal veterinary experience. It's hard to find where I live. If I were able to acquire 20 hours would that be sufficient to show them that I tried? I should have over 100 avian and exotic and over 1,500 small animal (mostly specialty but gonna get more gp in).

What are some tips about going about getting large animal veterinary experience? I may be going about it the wrong way!

 

[ktjc216]

So I'd have to take both courses online. I'm honestly a little nervous about online courses since I know most of them are at your own pace and I'm somewhat of a procrastinator. =) Where did you take Animal Nutrition?

I took Animal Science through St. Pete College and it was conducted like a normal course you would take in person. You had weekly assignments so you were always on track and couldn't leave everything up to the last minute. Now if you take animal nutrition through Oklahoma State University it is a very different scenario. It is completely go at your own pace with the only timeline being that they give you one year to complete the course. As a procrastinator this was terrible for me. I ended up finishing most of the course just before UF's deadline. Speaking of which, UF will allow you to take animal science and animal nutrition during the summer before you start vet school, so a lot of people wait on taking the courses until they find out they are accepted, especially if the other schools that they applied to don't require them.

 

[cdo96]

I definitely wouldn't have much large animal veterinary experience. It's hard to find where I live. If I were able to acquire 20 hours would that be sufficient to show them that I tried? I should have over 100 avian and exotic and over 1,500 small animal (mostly specialty but gonna get more gp in).

What are some tips about going about getting large animal veterinary experience? I may be going about it the wrong way!

If you're looking for an actual job for money, it's a bit harder. I usually just walk into a clinic dressed up with a resume, ask if I can talk to an office manager, and ask if I could watch the veterinarian for X amount of time so I could see the differences between LA and SA


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[alpaperart]

I took Animal Science through St. Pete College and it was conducted like a normal course you would take in person. You had weekly assignments so you were always on track and couldn't leave everything up to the last minute. Now if you take animal nutrition through Oklahoma State University it is a very different scenario. It is completely go at your own pace with the only timeline being that they give you one year to complete the course. As a procrastinator this was terrible for me. I ended up finishing most of the course just before UF's deadline. Speaking of which, UF will allow you to take animal science and animal nutrition during the summer before you start vet school, so a lot of people wait on taking the courses until they find out they are accepted, especially if the other schools that they applied to don't require them.

Okay that sounds amazing actually. I'd probably be fine taking it the spring semester before but I really appreciate that they give us time to figure out if we really need to take it! There are a couple of other schools that need Animal Nutrition so I'll probably do that regardless.

Is vet school okay as a procrastinator? Weird question right? haha I mean I did fine in college but I imagine it's very different with vet school! I love studying and I really enjoyed making study sheets in college but they did take me awhile and I'm sure I won't have that luxury to be a procrastinator and make those review sheets? But I'm not sure. Just thought I'd ask =)

 

[alpaperart]

If you're looking for an actual job for money, it's a bit harder. I usually just walk into a clinic dressed up with a resume, ask if I can talk to an office manager, and ask if I could watch the veterinarian for X amount of time so I could see the differences between LA and SA


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Definitely not looking for a job! Just looking for some time with a veterinarian. Do they usually have any reservations about allowing someone to shadow who hasn't spent any time with horses? (well I have, but that was way back in middle school!). Also I know a lot of equine vets travel a lot and it's a lot to ask to follow them around.

 

[cdo96]

Definitely not looking for a job! Just looking for some time with a veterinarian. Do they usually have any reservations about allowing someone to shadow who hasn't spent any time with horses? (well I have, but that was way back in middle school!). Also I know a lot of equine vets travel a lot and it's a lot to ask to follow them around.

Usually they're okay- especially if you mention that you're applying to vet school this year. (99.99992% of) Veterinarians understand and are understanding of the struggle of having to create a well rounded application. I see no problem with them letting you follow them around.

(Plus, in my experience, vets are chatty and love to talk, so they're glad to have new people to tell their stories to.)


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[alpaperart]

Usually they're okay- especially if you mention that you're applying to vet school this year. (99.99992% of) Veterinarians understand and are understanding of the struggle of having to create a well rounded application. I see no problem with them letting you follow them around.

(Plus, in my experience, vets are chatty and love to talk, so they're glad to have new people to tell their stories to.)


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I shall get on top of that then =) I checked out a couple in early spring and they told me to come back in the summer when it was busier so I shall do that next week when I'm free!

 

[FeenyFee]

So I'd have to take both courses online. I'm honestly a little nervous about online courses since I know most of them are at your own pace and I'm somewhat of a procrastinator. =) Where did you take Animal Nutrition?

I'm taking it at SPC (St. Pete College). I think a few other schools offer it online as well. The ones I'm taking are not really at your own pace. There are strict due dates for each unit and the professor makes sure you log in at least x amount of times a week. You have to respond to classmates and for animal science their were mandatory "chats" where the whole class logs in on this online forum to basically ask questions or discuss topics relating to the class.

 

[sglazer]

Florida resident, but I'm not too confident on an acceptance. But I'm staying hopeful and watching this thread haha

 

[Hatter2012]

UF said I need a 70ish% score on the GRE due to lackluster GPA
My LOR's are good
I have 2400+ hours of Equine practice (probably( even the down and dirty stuff )
300+ hours small animal
I'm hoping its enough

 

[FeenyFee]

Florida resident, but I'm not too confident on an acceptance. But I'm staying hopeful and watching this thread haha

Good luck! Hope to be future classmates 🙂


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[Coopah]

UF said I need a 70ish% score on the GRE due to lackluster GPA
My LOR's are good
I have 2400+ hours of Equine practice (probably( even the down and dirty stuff )
300+ hours small animal
I'm hoping its enough

I'm sure you'll do great. I go through phases where I'm thinking nobody is even going to open my application because of my Cum GPA and then others where I'm thinking this is going to be a breeze. I might be bipolar.

 

[Hatter2012]

You're not alone 🙂 I have the same issue. Trust me your GPA cant be as bad as mine I retook 8 courses.

 

[Coopah]

You're not alone 🙂 I have the same issue. Trust me your GPA cant be as bad as mine I retook 8 courses.

I didn't retake any, but I left them all as C's. Ugh. I did much better my second time around (post-bac). I'm sure you'll do fine as well, keep your head up!

 

[Hatter2012]

I retook my basics and a few uppers Post-bacc. Is anyone else having issue with the essays?

 

[Coopah]

Very much so. I wrote down a rough draft of the diversity statement and gave to someone for their impression and they said I was being whiny...

 

[Hatter2012]

Very much so. I wrote down a rough draft of the diversity statement and gave to someone for their impression and they said I was being whiny...

I had to rewrite my ps this weekend because I actually turned it into two vets and they disagreed with my other reviewer. Now im trying to plug away at my diversity one.

 

[VetMed1]

UF said I need a 70ish% score on the GRE due to lackluster GPA
My LOR's are good
I have 2400+ hours of Equine practice (probably( even the down and dirty stuff )
300+ hours small animal
I'm hoping its enough

What is a "lackluster gpa"? Did you ask someone in admissions what your chances were?

 

[Hatter2012]

What is a "lackluster gpa"? Did you ask someone in admissions what your chances were?

I had some D's in my chem and C-'s in other prereqs so it brought my GPA down. I was able to sit down with a woman named Nicole in admissions ( she's on the website) she said to me, look if you couldn't do it I'd tell you to get out of my office right now. I've retaken most of those classes and gotten an A or B in all courses C or lower. Was also working a full time vet internship while doing so. Lackluster was due to my grandfather dying through my last two semesters ( I was taking care of him) and my house being flooded out before that ( living in friends houses/basements). I did put that in my explaination statement that my friend Tessa died during my retakes and it did not effect them. I learned from the last time.