University of Illinois-CVM - Application C/O 2022

Veterinary School Application Advising Ad
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
pinkpuppy9 said:
If anything, you can start figuring out where/when to get your rabies series. Some people have a really hard time getting it at home. The campus health center can do it once you get to campus, but that's just another thing on your plate when you're already going to be thoroughly overwhelmed during your first few weeks of school!
Click to expand...

You need them by clinical rolls around right? I can imagine it would just be easier to do it here at home. But Im not entirely sure either.
 
Altruistic80 said:
You need them by clinical rolls around right? I can imagine it would just be easier to do it here at home. But Im not entirely sure either.
Click to expand...
Yes, you should have the series done by October. If you want to volunteer in the wildlife clinic, ideally you'd have the series done before classes start. if you don't, you can still volunteer, just only with wild birds/reptiles (until your series is done, then you can handle mammals as well!)
 
Can anyone give me some info about how much financial aid/ loans they received for school? I'm gunna be paying OOS tuition and my only concern is not receiving enough money to attend... my parents couldn't even help me financially in undergrad and I do not want the burden of having to work while in vet school.
 
airbear11 said:
Can anyone give me some info about how much financial aid/ loans they received for school? I'm gunna be paying OOS tuition and my only concern is not receiving enough money to attend... my parents couldn't even help me financially in undergrad and I do not want the burden of having to work while in vet school.
Click to expand...
You should receive enough through the different loans to be able to cover it all. Don’t stress about that!
 
airbear11 said:
Can anyone give me some info about how much financial aid/ loans they received for school? I'm gunna be paying OOS tuition and my only concern is not receiving enough money to attend... my parents couldn't even help me financially in undergrad and I do not want the burden of having to work while in vet school.
Click to expand...
You will be able to receive the full cost of attendance number the school estimates for that year (so tuition + COL). Keep in mind that if you have more expensive rent or have some large expense come up (car problems, emergency pet stuff, etc), you may have trouble stretching your COL allowance if you don't have savings. If needed, I believe you can request more money, but idk the process for that.

Office of the Registrar and Office of the Registrar to give you an idea.
 
Thanks guys! That makes me feel so much better 🙂
 
For those of you who attend UIUC already, what is the farthest you would recommend living away from campus? I know most people live pretty close to the school, but I'm wondering if you know anyone who had to live 20-30+ minutes away and made it work. My boyfriend is currently job hunting and is trying to find a job close to Chambana. In the off chance he can't find anything close, I don't want to make him drive over an hour each way to work, but I also don't want to make my first year of vet school more difficult than it already will be.
 
To start with, being a ways out isn't a huge deal unless you're going to do stuff like wildlife clinic or equine emergency team. But I believe you have to be within 20 minutes of the clinic during fourth year. I live in tolono with no problems.
 
This is a long shot but if anyone is not going to vet school next semester or is looking to gain Illinois residency before starting st U of I next year is in need of a teching opportunity I have a hook up for you! We desperately need someone with tech experience and a sense of urgency! Please contact me if interested thanks 🙂
 
My doc office called me and told me that my hospital can't do it but apparently Walgreens has. Has anyone gone to Walgreens for their RV vax????
 
Altruistic80 said:
My doc office called me and told me that my hospital can't do it but apparently Walgreens has. Has anyone gone to Walgreens for their RV vax????
Click to expand...
I think if Walgreens had it, fewer people would have such a hard time finding someone to give them their series. I would call a few Walgreens and ask at least, but rabies vx isn't something that your local vaccine clinic would carry. Maybe it's something they could order on an as-needed basis?
 
Altruistic80 said:
My doc office called me and told me that my hospital can't do it but apparently Walgreens has. Has anyone gone to Walgreens for their RV vax????
Click to expand...
Yes Walgreens has the rabies vaccine. Was super easy to do it there
 
pinkpuppy9 said:
I think if Walgreens had it, fewer people would have such a hard time finding someone to give them their series. I would call a few Walgreens and ask at least, but rabies vx isn't something that your local vaccine clinic would carry. Maybe it's something they could order on an as-needed basis?
Click to expand...
If I recall correctly, it only took a day or two after dropping off the prescription for them to have the vaccine available. They were actually quite excited about it. Guess it was more fun than a flu vaccine
 
So I've sent the deposit and I'm both super excited and slightly nervous. It's a bit weird finally knowing where I'll be for the next four years. Although I sent the deposit check it has yet to be cashed, and I'm worried it didn't get there. Has anyone else who dropped off or mailed their check had theirs deposited? I'm probably worried for no reason and they're waiting until after the April 15th deadline, but I hate not knowing they recieved it.
 
AvidBookWorm said:
So I've sent the deposit and I'm both super excited and slightly nervous. It's a bit weird finally knowing where I'll be for the next four years. Although I sent the deposit check it has yet to be cashed, and I'm worried it didn't get there. Has anyone else who dropped off or mailed their check had theirs deposited? I'm probably worried for no reason and they're waiting until after the April 15th deadline, but I hate not knowing they recieved it.
Click to expand...
Call and ask them.
 
AvidBookWorm said:
So I've sent the deposit and I'm both super excited and slightly nervous. It's a bit weird finally knowing where I'll be for the next four years. Although I sent the deposit check it has yet to be cashed, and I'm worried it didn't get there. Has anyone else who dropped off or mailed their check had theirs deposited? I'm probably worried for no reason and they're waiting until after the April 15th deadline, but I hate not knowing they recieved it.
Click to expand...
I sent mine priority that way I could track it and make sure it got there. Also, with priority, they don't drop it off unless someone is there. It doesn't have to be signed for or anything, but someone has to be there, which is definitely nice! I sent it last Friday and it was received yesterday!
 
AvidBookWorm said:
So I've sent the deposit and I'm both super excited and slightly nervous. It's a bit weird finally knowing where I'll be for the next four years. Although I sent the deposit check it has yet to be cashed, and I'm worried it didn't get there. Has anyone else who dropped off or mailed their check had theirs deposited? I'm probably worried for no reason and they're waiting until after the April 15th deadline, but I hate not knowing they recieved it.
Click to expand...
I mailed mine and it took about 2 weeks for them to cash it.
 
So I am between going to school here or Mizzou. I can get in-state for both so tuition isn't an issue. How do people like the curriculum structure at U of I? My biggest fear is not getting enough hands on experience doing surgeries and other practical clinical skills. Do you feel prepared for the real world? Also how are the exam's like? can someone explain that more to me? so is it like one exam every 8 weeks with info from all the classes you took those 8-weeks? or an exam for each class? how bad are the exams? How is life living in Chambana? I have a medium sized dog and want to know what good dog parks and dog friendly area's are and in general how you like living here. My current turn off about U of I is the whole place looks sketchy too me like I am gonna get robbed XD. I just worry lot.
 
Finlays&Oreos said:
So I am between going to school here or Mizzou. I can get in-state for both so tuition isn't an issue. How do people like the curriculum structure at U of I? My biggest fear is not getting enough hands on experience doing surgeries and other practical clinical skills. Do you feel prepared for the real world?
Click to expand...
I’m not a student there, but Illinois has their clinical skills lab that you have access to to practice things and you also start on clinics your first year after the first eight weeks
 
Finlays&Oreos said:
How do people like the curriculum structure at U of I? My biggest fear is not getting enough hands on experience doing surgeries and other practical clinical skills.
Click to expand...

The curriculum is pretty okay. I like how the courses are pretty coordinated in that while we're doing repro anatomy right now, we're also doing repro phys and repro histo. I hated doing all of the nervous system in one go during undergrad. Rotations are great for people like me where we learn more from cases than lecture. I love that we don't have attendance cause I don't go to class.

Finlays&Oreos said:
Also how are the exam's like? can someone explain that more to me? so is it like one exam every 8 weeks with info from all the classes you took those 8-weeks? or an exam for each class? how bad are the exams?
Click to expand...

We have an exam every four weeks. Week 4 is midterms and week 8 is finals. They're integrated. So instead of having individual tests for each subject, we have one big test with all 5-6 subjects. We get one grade for the whole 8 week quarter instead of 5-6 grades. Does that make sense?

Finlays&Oreos said:
My current turn off about U of I is the whole place looks sketchy too me like I am gonna get robbed XD. I just worry lot
Click to expand...

This place is way more tame than Denver where I grew up. Obviously follow standard safety common sense. But I'm at vet med as late as 1 or 2 am and walk around that end of campus outdoors with no qualms about it. I have 0 fear on this end of campus. As for living, there have been a few people whose cars have been broken into in some neighborhoods. But it's not common. I may have a skewed perspective since I grew up in a much bigger city than this, but it's not sketchy to me.

Finlays&Oreos said:
My biggest fear is not getting enough hands on experience doing surgeries and other practical clinical skills.
Click to expand...

This is a toss up. We have rotations and CSLC, but how much you get out of those is up to you. If you're interested and gung-ho, you will have plenty of opportunity. Wildlife, AAEP, PMC, and other clubs have given me a ton of hands on experience working with clinicians and animals. If you go for the opportunities, you'll get the experience. But no one is going to hold your hand on this, either. If you don't go to the CSLC/practice your skills, then you won't have them. I feel that's how it is at a lot of different schools as well.


I'm way better at answering more specific questions then general ones, so let us know if you have any others. lol. @pinkpuppy9 has a lot more perspective on the clinical skills aspect as she's in clinics now and @SportPonies is a fellow firstie that may have a different perspective. 🙂
 
batsenecal said:
I'm way better at answering more specific questions then general ones, so let us know if you have any others. lol. @pinkpuppy9 has a lot more perspective on the clinical skills aspect as she's in clinics now and @SportPonies is a fellow firstie that may have a different perspective. 🙂
Click to expand...
Not trying to sound cocky or anything, but I was fortunate enough to come into vet school with pretty good clinical skills already so it's hard for me to really say anything. I think if you only learn these clinical skills during your 8 weeks during first and second year and expect to come to be clinics-ready, you will be disappointed. I'm unfortunately seeing this happen with a few rotation mates right now.

Don't get me wrong, the rotations as 1st/2nd years are great, but you really should make an effort to keep developing those skills outside of school activities as often as you can. Placing a catheter in an overused model =/= placing a catheter in a real animal. Placing a muzzle on a fake dog head =/= placing a muzzle on a dog that is literally trying to kill you. I could go on. It's not that you won't be able to ask for help as a 4th year, but your life will be easier and more efficient if you make a point to get live animal experience with all of this stuff. At a certain point, you are expected to be competent. It's your job to reach that competency, it's not someone else's job to drag you there while you put no effort in.

Going to add that I'm not confident with most LA stuff though. Give me a murderous dog/cat, any exotic, etc and I'm fine. Horses/cows, meh.


Also lol how does Champaign-Urbana come off as sketchy? OP must not have driven through any real city before. There are some 'worse' parts, but lol. I guess I must be desensed growing up near Detroit and going to Michigan State...

This campus is way tamer than Michigan State. Some real shady/scary **** happened during my 4 years of undergrad there. Plus, the vet school is pretty isolated from the main campus and we don't see those crimes out where we are. Just use common sense. Theft, sexual assault, etc. crimes happen on every campus, unfortunately.
 
Last edited:
Finlays&Oreos said:
So I am between going to school here or Mizzou. I can get in-state for both so tuition isn't an issue. How do people like the curriculum structure at U of I? My biggest fear is not getting enough hands on experience doing surgeries and other practical clinical skills. Do you feel prepared for the real world? Also how are the exam's like? can someone explain that more to me? so is it like one exam every 8 weeks with info from all the classes you took those 8-weeks? or an exam for each class? how bad are the exams? How is life living in Chambana? I have a medium sized dog and want to know what good dog parks and dog friendly area's are and in general how you like living here. My current turn off about U of I is the whole place looks sketchy too me like I am gonna get robbed XD. I just worry lot.
Click to expand...

I would recommend Illinois, I personally liked Illinois much better, but wasn't lucky enough to get in and chose Madison over Mizzou.
You will be a great vet no matter where you choose!

Just my (1+1) Cents
 
Thank you! I am now wondering how important going to a school that has exotic focused classes is. Like will taking electives like that help me a lot or is the real importance just getting externships and internships with exotic and zoological animals.
 
Finlays&Oreos said:
Like will taking electives like that help me a lot or is the real importance just getting externships and internships with exotic and zoological animals.
Click to expand...

Like, having the electives wouldn't hurt by any means. But from what I've heard from others is that the externships/internships are what helps in regards to applying for internships/residencies. Moreover, those experiences would probs be more enjoyable in the long run and give you more clinical experiences in those fields.
 
batsenecal said:
Like, having the electives wouldn't hurt by any means. But from what I've heard from others is that the externships/internships are what helps in regards to applying for internships/residencies. Moreover, those experiences would probs be more enjoyable in the long run and give you more clinical experiences in those fields.
Click to expand...
This. Our electives are really good and give great clinically relevant info, but only 2 exotics electives are actually hands on with (live) animals. One of those two only has one live animal lab, the other is an avian handling/medicine course. Most exotics people I know did summer stuff with private practices and zoos for further experience. Zoo people are a bit of a different story.

If you go elsewhere, that doesn't mean you can't enter the world of exotics still.
 
I don't have the paper in front of me but are their requirements for matriculation that you need a C or higher in all prereqs left or all classes in the last semester? Mammalogy is kicking me in the butt and its not even a prerequisite :drowning:. Thanks!
 
Samley4 said:
I don't have the paper in front of me but are their requirements for matriculation that you need a C or higher in all prereqs left or all classes in the last semester? Mammalogy is kicking me in the butt and its not even a prerequisite :drowning:. Thanks!
Click to expand...

C- or better in all required courses
 
Samley4 said:
I don't have the paper in front of me but are their requirements for matriculation that you need a C or higher in all prereqs left or all classes in the last semester? Mammalogy is kicking me in the butt and its not even a prerequisite :drowning:. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Same here! Mammalogy is rough.
 
Can we call to see where we are on the waitlist or if it’s moved? Or will they decline to tell me anything? Also, if you are offered a spot and taken off the waitlist, how does Illinois notify you - mail, phone call, email?
 
Taylor Knuth said:
Can we call to see where we are on the waitlist or if it’s moved? Or will they decline to tell me anything? Also, if you are offered a spot and taken off the waitlist, how does Illinois notify you - mail, phone call, email?
Click to expand...
They will not tell you your spot on the waitlist because they don’t want people calling every day to get an updated place. That’s what Dr. Foreman said at the AM info session.
 
SkiOtter said:
They will not tell you your spot on the waitlist because they don’t want people calling every day to get an updated place. That’s what Dr. Foreman said at the AM info session.
Click to expand...
Thank you; that's what I thought I remembered, but just wanted to check!
 
Taylor Knuth said:
Can we call to see where we are on the waitlist or if it’s moved? Or will they decline to tell me anything? Also, if you are offered a spot and taken off the waitlist, how does Illinois notify you - mail, phone call, email?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure most/all schools call people who get bumped off the waitlist-it speeds up communication so they can finalize their class as soon as possible. If you see a 217 area code calling, answer it!!
 
pinkpuppy9 said:
I'm pretty sure most/all schools call people who get bumped off the waitlist-it speeds up communication so they can finalize their class as soon as possible. If you see a 217 area code calling, answer it!!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much!! And, you bet I will!!!
 
Hello! I am currently leaning towards choosing U of I next year . I do have a few questions if anyone (especially current students) could help 🙂
How do students feel about the professors and staff there? Are they generally encouraging/helpful?
I guess I would just like to know about the overall feeling the students have towards the vet school (overall positive?) . What are common complaints about the program if there are any?
Based on my short time there for the interview it seems like a good program, but I didn't get much of a chance to talk to students about their experiences. Thanks!!
 
qwerty11 said:
How do students feel about the professors and staff there? Are they generally encouraging/helpful?
Click to expand...

As a general rule, I like the professors. There will always be exceptions everywhere you go. There are a few professors I am not a fan of. But between having a wedding to be at last year mixed with a changed midterm time, missing class and a quiz because of a blown transmission, and being sick a couple of times, the professors have been super helpful in accommodating getting caught up/switching testing times for me. The professors have all also been positive in regards to the fact I am repeating first year. Not once has a professor made me felt negative about the situation and several have been very supportive in regards to that.

I also don't go to class though unless compelled by a sign in sheet, so I haven't interacted with our new anatomy professor at all. She probably doesn't know who I am, no be honest. So take my opinion with a grain of salt.

qwerty11 said:
I guess I would just like to know about the overall feeling the students have towards the vet school (overall positive?) . What are common complaints about the program if there are any?
Click to expand...

I'm overall positive.

My main pros: no overall attendance policy, no dress code, my amazing new class, mostly supportive staff/faculty, rotations/clubs giving good opportunities.

I don't have any super hard cons, to be honest. They're more of semi-con, semi-pro. Like we have the "mega-courses" where all our classes are tested together, so we get one over all grade. This is a con in that is the reason I'm repeating; if I had 6 separate grades, I'd actually have over a 2.0 and technically pass on that merit. However, the caveat is that I would have had a solid high F or low D in anatomy. Depending on the policies of a school, I still would have repeated anyways or would have remediated that specific course. Who knows.
 
qwerty11 said:
Hello! I am currently leaning towards choosing U of I next year . I do have a few questions if anyone (especially current students) could help 🙂
How do students feel about the professors and staff there? Are they generally encouraging/helpful?
I guess I would just like to know about the overall feeling the students have towards the vet school (overall positive?) . What are common complaints about the program if there are any?
Based on my short time there for the interview it seems like a good program, but I didn't get much of a chance to talk to students about their experiences. Thanks!!
Click to expand...
I'd say overall positive. There are pros and cons to every school. I've had no real personal issues with anyone at the school but I know some people have, so YMMV. Just be respectful with all of your interactions and you'll be fine.

Cons: I also dislike the mega courses, but it is what it is. If you're not one of the lucky few to get all A's and B's, it's impossible to keep your GPA residency-competitive (say, at least a 3.0 or something like that) or improve if if you tank first year, which is something that has bothered me. I'd probably be residency-competitive if we had individual courses. You only have 9 grades total for vet school, and those grades are either a 1.0/D, 2.0/C, 3.0/B, or 4.0/A. each grade is like 9-10 credits each. If you start out with 2-3 C's in first year, you're unlikely to get above a 3.0 unless you get nearly straight A's for the rest of your grades.

Any other con I could possibly thing of would not be unique to U of I. Probably every vet school has communication problems, kinks in the teaching hospital, etc.
 
does anyone know if there is a Facebook group for the incoming class yet?
 
jakowako said:
does anyone know if there is a Facebook group for the incoming class yet?
Click to expand...

Probs not cause they probs haven't confirmed the class yet since people have until the 15thish to confirm their spot. Our SAVMA president will shoot the new class an email with a link eventually this summer.
 
Getting really overwhelmed with looking for places to live. 🙁 I want the best place at a decent distance from school. But I'm literally having a hard time. I need a place that has a hard phone line due to having a pacemaker and my transmitter needs a Hardline to hook up to. As well as being picky and wanting a washer and dryer in the unit, majority utilities included, and my hedgehog (and a dog in the future) to be able to come. I know it's been thrown around before but can people recommend places to live again. So far I've looked into and heard back from The Place, Golfview Village (rantoul - does anyone live there and is it far?), Westgate, Parkside, and HuntersPond. I looked into but haven't heard back from Falconway, Town and County and Stone Ridge. I'm slightly overwhelmed! Kind of scary moving out for the first time!
 
Altruistic80 said:
Getting really overwhelmed with looking for places to live. 🙁 I want the best place at a decent distance from school. But I'm literally having a hard time. I need a place that has a hard phone line due to having a pacemaker and my transmitter needs a Hardline to hook up to. As well as being picky and wanting a washer and dryer in the unit, majority utilities included, and my hedgehog (and a dog in the future) to be able to come. I know it's been thrown around before but can people recommend places to live again. So far I've looked into and heard back from The Place, Golfview Village (rantoul - does anyone live there and is it far?), Westgate, Parkside, and HuntersPond. I looked into but haven't heard back from Falconway, Town and County and Stone Ridge. I'm slightly overwhelmed! Kind of scary moving out for the first time!
Click to expand...

I will also be in the incoming class and I have briefly looked into housing. I haven't looked at any of the places you mentioned as I am looking more for a house with a fenced in backyard for my dog, but have you looked into renting an actual house? If you have roommates, the rent isn't that bad, you typically get more space, and there were quite a few places within 5-10 minutes of the vet school.
 
Samley4 said:
Literally I have never struggled so hard with a class in my life. I'm typically a good student but will honestly be thrilled to get a C or higher lol
Click to expand...
Well luckily it won't really matter if you don't get a C or better since you're already in lol that's all that is keeping me sane about it right now.
 
Altruistic80 said:
Getting really overwhelmed with looking for places to live. 🙁 I want the best place at a decent distance from school. But I'm literally having a hard time. I need a place that has a hard phone line due to having a pacemaker and my transmitter needs a Hardline to hook up to. As well as being picky and wanting a washer and dryer in the unit, majority utilities included, and my hedgehog (and a dog in the future) to be able to come. I know it's been thrown around before but can people recommend places to live again. So far I've looked into and heard back from The Place, Golfview Village (rantoul - does anyone live there and is it far?), Westgate, Parkside, and HuntersPond. I looked into but haven't heard back from Falconway, Town and County and Stone Ridge. I'm slightly overwhelmed! Kind of scary moving out for the first time!
Click to expand...

I honestly used Zillow to find my current house! So you could try listing like that. 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
SDN Article: Ask the Professional: University of Illinois Vet Med Master of Veterinary Science Program
Replies
2
Views
815
OPE Illinois CVM
O
supershorty
Illinois 2025-2026 (c/o 2030 hopefuls)
Replies
8
Views
1K
spiane
spiane
O
Graduate Certificate Veterinary Science, University of Illinois College of Vetmed
Replies
9
Views
2K
BScaleruh
BScaleruh
supershorty
Illinois 2024-2025 (c/o 2029 hopefuls)
6 7 8 9 10
Replies
488
Views
56K
nicoledoesvetstuff
nicoledoesvetstuff
NCSU CVM
NC State University c/o 2031 Applicants
Replies
3
Views
448
robera1979
R
Top