University of Sydney c/o 2023

[BF14]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Wait, you're telling me you need to see a doctor that australia approves of? haha thats kind of crazy especially if they dont approve one near you. Where do you find that list?

When you submit your visa they will tell you what they require of you. Most likely they will say you need a health exam and they'll give you a HAP ID number and tell you what tests need to be done. Make sure you try and get this done soon as it may take a while to get an appointment (limited certified immigration doctors) and then you have to wait for them to send their results. All the info can be found here: Who needs health examinations

 

[Swelve]

wait you didn't submit your visa but you are doing an exam?

Yes, you can submit a request for your health identifier number before you submit the app for the visa. The doctor I went to required it, since they are submitting the paperwork to immigration.

 

[OVC2023]

When you submit your visa they will tell you what they require of you. Most likely they will say you need a health exam and they'll give you a HAP ID number and tell you what tests need to be done. Make sure you try and get this done soon as it may take a while to get an appointment (limited certified immigration doctors) and then you have to wait for them to send their results. All the info can be found here: Who needs health examinations

okay thanks! I haven't applied but I will be for the next cycle so I was just curious about the process

 

[chulin5a30]

Out of curiosity, how many seats are available to international students for the DVM program? I got my conditional offer but I'm not certain whether I will get the unconditional offer from the school.

 

[HopefulVet2023]

Out of curiosity, how many seats are available to international students for the DVM program? I got my conditional offer but I'm not certain whether I will get the unconditional offer from the school.

I believe 22-29 seats I heard

 

[chulin5a30]

ok, thanks!

 

[Swelve]

So has anyone found any flights?

 

[DrinkWater95]

So has anyone found any flights?

Yes! I’ll be flying in on 2/6

 

[HopefulVet2023]

So has anyone found any flights?

So has anyone found any flights?

I will be flying out 2/2 from LAX

 

[Swelve]

I'm flying out on 2/10 from jax I live in north FL. Has everyone picked their housing?

 

[HopefulVet2023]

I'm flying out on 2/10 from jax I live in north FL. Has everyone picked their housing?

I have packed nothing! hahah

Oh and anyone can join the USYD DVM - class of 2022 on facebook!

 

[DrinkWater95]

I'm flying out on 2/10 from jax I live in north FL. Has everyone picked their housing?

I’ll be flying in on 2/6. I haven’t picked my housing but have a short list of places to look at when I get in. I don’t want to sign anything until I’ve seen it in person.

 

[SkiOtter]

I’ll be flying in on 2/6. I haven’t picked my housing but have a short list of places to look at when I get in. I don’t want to sign anything until I’ve seen it in person.

Same, girl
I was paranoid about housing at my school not being what I expected from pictures online

 

[DrinkWater95]

Same, girl
I was paranoid about housing at my school not being what I expected from pictures online

Haha exactly! Also paranoid over here but I think my paranoia has done more good than harm in my life

 

[SkiOtter]

Haha exactly! Also paranoid over here but I think my paranoia has done more good than harm in my life

I mean, same. I haven’t been killed by an axe murder yet!

 

[WonderingStudent]

Hey (Question) I'm applying this cycle for Sydney as an international (US citizen). They say on their prereq website that they need a detailed outline of the courses that you took as prereqs for Sydney. Can anyone clarify what they are expecting here (ie the syllabi)? Additionally they say that if there are any specific gaps in knowledge or understanding we have to rectify them. Anyone able to clarify this??? I tried emailing them but have gotten no reply back yet. Thank you!

 

[DrinkWater95]

Hi, is there anyone on this thread that would be willing to chat with me as a current second-year student about your time in Sydney so far? I am an incoming student starting in 2020. Would be amazing to ask you some questions about rotations/life in Sydney/transitions. Bonus points if you're a non US or Canadian citizen. Thank you so much!

Hi! Sorry I don’t log on here much. Feel free to message me with your questions

 

[DrinkWater95]

Hey (Question) I'm applying this cycle for Sydney as an international (US citizen). They say on their prereq website that they need a detailed outline of the courses that you took as prereqs for Sydney. Can anyone clarify what they are expecting here (ie the syllabi)? Additionally they say that if there are any specific gaps in knowledge or understanding we have to rectify them. Anyone able to clarify this??? I tried emailing them but have gotten no reply back yet. Thank you!

You basically search the learning objectives of your specific class at your specific college and can copy and paste what it says. That seemed to work for me just fine.

 

[WonderingStudent]

Hey I just got an email from University of Sydney. Any current or past Vet students at Sydney free to talk?

 

[Topazz]

If there’s any American vet students at Sydney I could really use some advice too!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

 

[D&Clvr]

Same! I would love to know if anyone has been through the program. What were your experiences as an international student? Did you feel prepared for the NAVLE? Would you recommend the program? Pros/Cons?

 

[DrinkWater95]

Hey I just got an email from University of Sydney. Any current or past Vet students at Sydney free to talk?

If there’s any American vet students at Sydney I could really use some advice too!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

Same! I would love to know if anyone has been through the program. What were your experiences as an international student? Did you feel prepared for the NAVLE? Would you recommend the program? Pros/Cons?

Hi! I’m an American vet student. About to finish my 1st year. Feel free to ask me whatever.

It was definitely stressful at first as international student between working on a visa and trying to figure out housing and Q fever Vaccine etc. the stress simmers down eventually though.

It can be stressful if you don’t have a car in Australia. 2 days a week we have to go out to Camden campus which is about a one hour drive from the Sydney campus. You get into car pool groups the first week of school but it can be a bit awkward and weird as an international student because you don’t know many people yet. Most of the people with cars are domestic students.

The program used to be a 5 year program, so they’re still trying to work out some kinks with that I think. Sometimes the curriculum can feel a bit disorganized.

The school also has a feeder program that is 2 years before the DVM program starts so a lot of the class is from that and many already know each other.

As far as the NAVLE, the curriculum doesn’t focus on asking NAVLE type questions like the American schools do. The school does have a NAVLE advisor though. They also support you your final year with preparation and practice tests as well. However, they strongly encourage you to take the NAVLE is December (opposed to April). They won’t give you the support of you take it in April.

We have to do industry, pre-clinical and clinical placements. These are placements you must do AND pay for in addition to your tuition. These start in your second semester. There are some that are close to Sydney but they can be competitive. You’ll eventually have to drive or fly somewhere to some placements. If you’re lucky, you’ll go with a fellow student that has transportation. Some of the placements offer accommodations and even food which is nice. Outside of the additional stress on finances and organizing the placements, I’ve found them really fun! There are some exciting options to choose from.

Living in Australia has been great over all. There’s tons to do outside, beautiful beaches, hiking, kangaroo spotting. If you like the mountains, there’s Perisher about 5 hours away for snowboarding and skiing. The food is AMAZING - lots of Asian influence on the cuisine. Mostly mom and pop restaurants. It’s a great way to get out of your bubble and before more cultured

Hope this helped! Let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

[D&Clvr]

Hi! I’m an American vet student. About to finish my 1st year. Feel free to ask me whatever.

It was definitely stressful at first as international student between working on a visa and trying to figure out housing and Q fever Vaccine etc. the stress simmers down eventually though.

It can be stressful if you don’t have a car in Australia. 2 days a week we have to go out to Camden campus which is about a one hour drive from the Sydney campus. You get into car pool groups the first week of school but it can be a bit awkward and weird as an international student because you don’t know many people yet. Most of the people with cars are domestic students.

The program used to be a 5 year program, so they’re still trying to work out some kinks with that I think. Sometimes the curriculum can feel a bit disorganized.

The school also has a feeder program that is 2 years before the DVM program starts so a lot of the class is from that and many already know each other.

As far as the NAVLE, the curriculum doesn’t focus on asking NAVLE type questions like the American schools do. The school does have a NAVLE advisor though. They also support you your final year with preparation and practice tests as well. However, they strongly encourage you to take the NAVLE is December (opposed to April). They won’t give you the support of you take it in April.

We have to do industry, pre-clinical and clinical placements. These are placements you must do AND pay for in addition to your tuition. These start in your second semester. There are some that are close to Sydney but they can be competitive. You’ll eventually have to drive or fly somewhere to some placements. If you’re lucky, you’ll go with a fellow student that has transportation. Some of the placements offer accommodations and even food which is nice. Outside of the additional stress on finances and organizing the placements, I’ve found them really fun! There are some exciting options to choose from.

Living in Australia has been great over all. There’s tons to do outside, beautiful beaches, hiking, kangaroo spotting. If you like the mountains, there’s Perisher about 5 hours away for snowboarding and skiing. The food is AMAZING - lots of Asian influence on the cuisine. Mostly mom and pop restaurants. It’s a great way to get out of your bubble and before more cultured

Hope this helped! Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Thank you so much for the detailed response! I lived in New Zealand for a short period and definitely have experienced the visa process....definitely stressful in its own way. What would you say are key positive and negative parts of the program? Did you apply to other programs inside the US? Would you have preferred staying in the US? Any idea on what the true COA is? Sorry, I know this is a lot. Thank you!

 

[DrinkWater95]

Thank you so much for the detailed response! I lived in New Zealand for a short period and definitely have experienced the visa process....definitely stressful in its own way. What would you say are key positive and negative parts of the program? Did you apply to other programs inside the US? Would you have preferred staying in the US? Any idea on what the true COA is? Sorry, I know this is a lot. Thank you!

No worries!

I applied to other schools in the US and received interview invites. I declined all the US invites because of how the timing was for USYD. It kind of forced me to make a decision before I knew my other options. My husband received a job offer in Sydney so it kind of worked out for us and we went for it.

It’s hard to say if I would stay in the US. I miss my family, which can be a big problem for international students. I have some gripes about the program, but can I really no for sure that other schools don’t have the same or different issues? I don’t think so. I think anywhere you go you will find yourself not liking some aspects and embracing others. I’m enjoying the experience and I think moving to another country has helped me grow on a personal level. That being said, I do want to move back to the US after I graduate. Just makes more sense with my family there and pay is better, especially with how expensive cost of living is here.

I’m not sure about total tuition costs for incoming students but for my first year, we paid $64k AUD for tuition + ~$1k AUD for survival instruments and equipment + ~$400 AUD for uniform and name tag + ~$300 AUD for student services that get you nothing..not even the gym lol. + ~$300 AUD for 1 placement. In the first year you have to do 8 industry placements (aka go on farms) and they cost anything from $50 AUD - $1k+ depending on your choice. So each year I would expect to pay a couple more thousand than what tuition says. Also cost of living is expensive! They charge by week. It’s hard to find a place for cheaper than $300 AUD/wk.

Pros:
Early animal exposure
Exposure to many different animals (cows, horses, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, fish, wildlife)
Approachability of staff
Staff is constantly looking to improve and regularly seeks out student opinions and has meetings with student representatives to gauge cohort concerns
A lot of interesting clubs are offered
Good resources to practice things like suturing
All lectures are recorded
Most classes have more than just the test grade so it’s not super hard to do decent

Cons:
Most of my cons are about organization and implementation of program but not actually the quality of the program.
Curriculum can be disorganized sometimes. I think the school needs to revise how to present some material.
Schedule organization sometimes doesn’t make sense, weird gaps that don’t need to be there.
Having to travel to Camden can make a long day feel much longer!
Placement organization can be stressful but they’re implementing a new system in April so hopefully that’ll resolve.
A good portion (maybe 50+%) is from the feeder program and already have established friend groups.
Much of the class is young and lacks experience because they can go to the feeder program right out of high school putting them in vet school at 20.
Attendance for some things is mandatory which isn’t always logistical for people.
Group projects are still a thing, I had 4 this semester
Their grading scale is a bit different so it makes you feel weird getting a 75 which is considered a distinction in Australia. This translates to an A in America.

 

[WonderingStudent]

No worries!

I applied to other schools in the US and received interview invites. I declined all the US invites because of how the timing was for USYD. It kind of forced me to make a decision before I knew my other options. My husband received a job offer in Sydney so it kind of worked out for us and we went for it.

It’s hard to say if I would stay in the US. I miss my family, which can be a big problem for international students. I have some gripes about the program, but can I really no for sure that other schools don’t have the same or different issues? I don’t think so. I think anywhere you go you will find yourself not liking some aspects and embracing others. I’m enjoying the experience and I think moving to another country has helped me grow on a personal level. That being said, I do want to move back to the US after I graduate. Just makes more sense with my family there and pay is better, especially with how expensive cost of living is here.

I’m not sure about total tuition costs for incoming students but for my first year, we paid $64k AUD for tuition + ~$1k AUD for survival instruments and equipment + ~$400 AUD for uniform and name tag + ~$300 AUD for student services that get you nothing..not even the gym lol. + ~$300 AUD for 1 placement. In the first year you have to do 8 industry placements (aka go on farms) and they cost anything from $50 AUD - $1k+ depending on your choice. So each year I would expect to pay a couple more thousand than what tuition says. Also cost of living is expensive! They charge by week. It’s hard to find a place for cheaper than $300 AUD/wk.

Pros:
Early animal exposure
Exposure to many different animals (cows, horses, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, fish, wildlife)
Approachability of staff
Staff is constantly looking to improve and regularly seeks out student opinions and has meetings with student representatives to gauge cohort concerns
A lot of interesting clubs are offered
Good resources to practice things like suturing
All lectures are recorded
Most classes have more than just the test grade so it’s not super hard to do decent

Cons:
Most of my cons are about organization and implementation of program but not actually the quality of the program.
Curriculum can be disorganized sometimes. I think the school needs to revise how to present some material.
Schedule organization sometimes doesn’t make sense, weird gaps that don’t need to be there.
Having to travel to Camden can make a long day feel much longer!
Placement organization can be stressful but they’re implementing a new system in April so hopefully that’ll resolve.
A good portion (maybe 50+%) is from the feeder program and already have established friend groups.
Much of the class is young and lacks experience because they can go to the feeder program right out of high school putting them in vet school at 20.
Attendance for some things is mandatory which isn’t always logistical for people.
Group projects are still a thing, I had 4 this semester
Their grading scale is a bit different so it makes you feel weird getting a 75 which is considered a distinction in Australia. This translates to an A in America.

How many US students usually come to the program? How big is the class size?

Do they have any sort of orientation or something for you to get to know your fellow classmates?

Do we learn about a lot of wildlife that US students don’t know much about (at somewhat of a disadvantage) because we aren’t from Australia?

 

[DrinkWater95]

How many US students usually come to the program? How big is the class size?

Do they have any sort of orientation or something for you to get to know your fellow classmates?

Do we learn about a lot of wildlife that US students don’t know much about (at somewhat of a disadvantage) because we aren’t from Australia?

I believe there’s around 20 US students in my class? I could be wrong though. There’s also a good amount of students from Canadian, China and Hong Kong.
The class size is ~140 students.

The first week we have an orientation. We get put in a diverse group of students and kind of get to know each other. We do some silly icebreaker exercises.

We honestly don’t learn a lot about wildlife in the classroom, we just get a rotation at the wildlife hospital. So you’ll be exposed to native wildlife there. Much of the course focuses on anatomy and physiology of the dog and that can be extrapolated to many other animals. Where there are differences, they’ll be sure to teach you them. The main species we focus on for differences are the horse, cow, cat and pig.

I think the disadvantage we might have is learning weird way of pronouncing medical terms. For example “skeletal” is pronounced “ska-leet-al” here lol. Also, any legislature that may be different back in the states

 

[nicvet12]

I believe there’s around 20 US students in my class? I could be wrong though. There’s also a good amount of students from Canadian, China and Hong Kong.
The class size is ~140 students.

The first week we have an orientation. We get put in a diverse group of students and kind of get to know each other. We do some silly icebreaker exercises.

We honestly don’t learn a lot about wildlife in the classroom, we just get a rotation at the wildlife hospital. So you’ll be exposed to native wildlife there. Much of the course focuses on anatomy and physiology of the dog and that can be extrapolated to many other animals. Where there are differences, they’ll be sure to teach you them. The main species we focus on for differences are the horse, cow, cat and pig.

I think the disadvantage we might have is learning weird way of pronouncing medical terms. For example “skeletal” is pronounced “ska-leet-al” here lol. Also, any legislature that may be different back in the states

Your insight is super helpful! 🙂 I recently put down my deposit and am super overwhelmed with everything. Do we have to get the Q fever vaccine before we arrive in Aus?

 

[DrinkWater95]

Your insight is super helpful! 🙂 I recently put down my deposit and am super overwhelmed with everything. Do we have to get the Q fever vaccine before we arrive in Aus?

Happy to help!

The same question drove me crazy because they didn’t specify lol. I don’t think you can get it in the US? They require you get it in Australia anyway! I would try to arrive in Australia at least a week before classes start so you can get the test then vaccine as well as get housing situated.

Unless you live in an overpopulated city like San Fran, the housing situation it a bit different. You go to inspections and place a bid on a rental property (aka what you’re willing to pay each week). It can be intimidating but most places give you a guideline as to what the landlord is expecting to get paid.

 

[D&Clvr]

Your insight is super helpful! 🙂 I recently put down my deposit and am super overwhelmed with everything. Do we have to get the Q fever vaccine before we arrive in Aus?

Good luck! I declined, I have a few interviews at some of my other top schools and I just can't pass up the potential opportunity. I'm sure it will be a wonderful experience for you.....

 

[nicvet12]

Happy to help!

The same question drove me crazy because they didn’t specify lol. I don’t think you can get it in the US? They require you get it in Australia anyway! I would try to arrive in Australia at least a week before classes start so you can get the test then vaccine as well as get housing situated.

Unless you live in an overpopulated city like San Fran, the housing situation it a bit different. You go to inspections and place a bid on a rental property (aka what you’re willing to pay each week). It can be intimidating but most places give you a guideline as to what the landlord is expecting to get paid.

Ah that makes sense! As for housing, I have applied to live on-campus for my first year and then will be looking to find cheaper off-campus housing afterwards 🙂

 

[nicvet12]

Good luck! I declined, I have a few interviews at some of my other top schools and I just can't pass up the potential opportunity. I'm sure it will be a wonderful experience for you.....

Thank you and good luck to you too! I haven't heard back from anywhere yet but if I get an offer from my in-state school (Cornell) I'll most likely be going there instead! 🙂

 

[D&Clvr]

Thank you and good luck to you too! I haven't heard back from anywhere yet but if I get an offer from my in-state school (Cornell) I'll most likely be going there instead! 🙂

Did you put your deposit down? It was just such a large deposit and I figured I won't hear from most programs before late January which leaves me with little to no time to move.

 

[nicvet12]

Did you put your deposit down? It was just such a large deposit and I figured I won't hear from most programs before late January which leaves me with little to no time to move.

I asked if I can have the 33k deposit reduced since Im taking out loans so they lowered it to 3,300 AUD which was about 2k USD. No way I would've been able to pay that huge deposit without loans. And yeah thats what sucks about the Aus schools, they start super early. Luckily Cornell doesn't interview and we find out early Jan.

 

[DrinkWater95]

Ah that makes sense! As for housing, I have applied to live on-campus for my first year and then will be looking to find cheaper off-campus housing afterwards 🙂

That’s a good choice! I know people that live on campus and find it super convenient.

 

[lnicole4!]

No worries!

I applied to other schools in the US and received interview invites. I declined all the US invites because of how the timing was for USYD. It kind of forced me to make a decision before I knew my other options. My husband received a job offer in Sydney so it kind of worked out for us and we went for it.

It’s hard to say if I would stay in the US. I miss my family, which can be a big problem for international students. I have some gripes about the program, but can I really no for sure that other schools don’t have the same or different issues? I don’t think so. I think anywhere you go you will find yourself not liking some aspects and embracing others. I’m enjoying the experience and I think moving to another country has helped me grow on a personal level. That being said, I do want to move back to the US after I graduate. Just makes more sense with my family there and pay is better, especially with how expensive cost of living is here.

I’m not sure about total tuition costs for incoming students but for my first year, we paid $64k AUD for tuition + ~$1k AUD for survival instruments and equipment + ~$400 AUD for uniform and name tag + ~$300 AUD for student services that get you nothing..not even the gym lol. + ~$300 AUD for 1 placement. In the first year you have to do 8 industry placements (aka go on farms) and they cost anything from $50 AUD - $1k+ depending on your choice. So each year I would expect to pay a couple more thousand than what tuition says. Also cost of living is expensive! They charge by week. It’s hard to find a place for cheaper than $300 AUD/wk.

Pros:
Early animal exposure
Exposure to many different animals (cows, horses, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, fish, wildlife)
Approachability of staff
Staff is constantly looking to improve and regularly seeks out student opinions and has meetings with student representatives to gauge cohort concerns
A lot of interesting clubs are offered
Good resources to practice things like suturing
All lectures are recorded
Most classes have more than just the test grade so it’s not super hard to do decent

Cons:
Most of my cons are about organization and implementation of program but not actually the quality of the program.
Curriculum can be disorganized sometimes. I think the school needs to revise how to present some material.
Schedule organization sometimes doesn’t make sense, weird gaps that don’t need to be there.
Having to travel to Camden can make a long day feel much longer!
Placement organization can be stressful but they’re implementing a new system in April so hopefully that’ll resolve.
A good portion (maybe 50+%) is from the feeder program and already have established friend groups.
Much of the class is young and lacks experience because they can go to the feeder program right out of high school putting them in vet school at 20.
Attendance for some things is mandatory which isn’t always logistical for people.
Group projects are still a thing, I had 4 this semester
Their grading scale is a bit different so it makes you feel weird getting a 75 which is considered a distinction in Australia. This translates to an A in America.

So sorry to bombard you with questions - I also just got accepted on Tuesday and the website is so hard to navigate.

Would you be able to share the curriculum? Also, if you're looking to specialize do they have electives//any paths for that to get you ahead for clinical?

Feel free to not answer this one if it's too personal.. but do you find that it is extremely expensive down there for a student?

 

[DrinkWater95]

So sorry to bombard you with questions - I also just got accepted on Tuesday and the website is so hard to navigate.

Would you be able to share the curriculum? Also, if you're looking to specialize do they have electives//any paths for that to get you ahead for clinical?

Feel free to not answer this one if it's too personal.. but do you find that it is extremely expensive down there for a student?

Hi! No worries, I know moving here is a big decision. I too found the website hard to navigate, I’m hoping they’ll fix this soon.

For first semester, the curriculum is very normal anatomy heavy. Monday and Tuesday’s we do professional skills classes. These classes range from practicing clinical consults (with stuffed animals) to animal handling classes located mostly in Camden. We have a couple rotations at the veterinary hospitals as well. Sometimes you have Monday and/or Tuesday off which is nice. Wednesday you have a couple Anatomy/Physiology/histology lectures and a research and inquiry lecture and tutorial. Thursday and Fridays you have a couple lectures and a couple practicals. Our days are usually 9-4 but can be shorter or longer depending on the day.

Second semester is pretty physiology heavy. You begin to learn about abnormalities but it’s still heavily based on what is normal. Your Monday and Tuesday classes are still reserved for professional skills classes.

For both semesters, you have a two week intensive course then you get into the bulk of your classes after that.

I haven’t been through years 2-4 yet so I can’t say a whole lot about those years yet.

Second year is structured more around abnormalities and diseases.

Third year you move out to Camden and I believe teachings are more focused on large animals. I believe you can choose elective classes in third year but I’m not 100%.

Fourth year is your clinical year. You have some wiggle room with choosing some rotations, but I believe there are some core rotations you need to complete.

For 1st and 2nd year you do industry placements which are basically visiting farms and learning how they work from the ground up. In third year I believe you start doing preclinical placements were you follow nurses around. Fourth year is when you do clinical placements and follow doctors around.

I’m considering specializing but still debating. I think it’s too early into the schooling that they haven’t really exposed us to the avenues to specialize. I would just say join clubs to explore your interest, get good grades and try to get into leadership roles.

It is expensive to live in Sydney in general. I think it’s hard to find a place less than $300-$350 AUD/week. Groceries aren’t super bad, I go to Aldi and keep my grocery costs low by going there. Other things you may enjoy but aren’t necessarily needed you may want to reconsider buying. I.e alcohol can be expensive. It’s not unusual to see cocktails at $25 each. Also, if you’re a smoker, I believe a pack is $35 lol. Petrol here is expensive as well. Public transport is super easy here though so it’s possible to get around without a car, just inconvenient for Camden days. At the end of the day, the biggest price difference will be the rent.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if you want me to expand on something!

 

[lnicole4!]

Hi! No worries, I know moving here is a big decision. I too found the website hard to navigate, I’m hoping they’ll fix this soon.

For first semester, the curriculum is very normal anatomy heavy. Monday and Tuesday’s we do professional skills classes. These classes range from practicing clinical consults (with stuffed animals) to animal handling classes located mostly in Camden. We have a couple rotations at the veterinary hospitals as well. Sometimes you have Monday and/or Tuesday off which is nice. Wednesday you have a couple Anatomy/Physiology/histology lectures and a research and inquiry lecture and tutorial. Thursday and Fridays you have a couple lectures and a couple practicals. Our days are usually 9-4 but can be shorter or longer depending on the day.

Second semester is pretty physiology heavy. You begin to learn about abnormalities but it’s still heavily based on what is normal. Your Monday and Tuesday classes are still reserved for professional skills classes.

For both semesters, you have a two week intensive course then you get into the bulk of your classes after that.

I haven’t been through years 2-4 yet so I can’t say a whole lot about those years yet.

Second year is structured more around abnormalities and diseases.

Third year you move out to Camden and I believe teachings are more focused on large animals. I believe you can choose elective classes in third year but I’m not 100%.

Fourth year is your clinical year. You have some wiggle room with choosing some rotations, but I believe there are some core rotations you need to complete.

For 1st and 2nd year you do industry placements which are basically visiting farms and learning how they work from the ground up. In third year I believe you start doing preclinical placements were you follow nurses around. Fourth year is when you do clinical placements and follow doctors around.

I’m considering specializing but still debating. I think it’s too early into the schooling that they haven’t really exposed us to the avenues to specialize. I would just say join clubs to explore your interest, get good grades and try to get into leadership roles.

It is expensive to live in Sydney in general. I think it’s hard to find a place less than $300-$350 AUD/week. Groceries aren’t super bad, I go to Aldi and keep my grocery costs low by going there. Other things you may enjoy but aren’t necessarily needed you may want to reconsider buying. I.e alcohol can be expensive. It’s not unusual to see cocktails at $25 each. Also, if you’re a smoker, I believe a pack is $35 lol. Petrol here is expensive as well. Public transport is super easy here though so it’s possible to get around without a car, just inconvenient for Camden days. At the end of the day, the biggest price difference will be the rent.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if you want me to expand on something!

Do you remember which visa you applied for//how long it took for approval?

 

[DrinkWater95]

I applied for

Do you remember which visa you applied for//how long it took for approval?

I applied for the student visa, not sure what number that one is though? I believe it took about 3-4 weeks to get approved, maybe a bit earlier. Can’t seem to find my emails about the updates

 

[Fz94]

I applied for

I applied for the student visa, not sure what number that one is though? I believe it took about 3-4 weeks to get approved, maybe a bit earlier. Can’t seem to find my emails about the updates

I believe its the student visa subclass 500. I applied for it December 17th and was given the visa grant on January 17th.

 

[Fz94]

Hello! I have also got accepted to the DVM class of 2024 in University of Sydney. I am from San Jose, CA from the USA. I am absolutely terrified of the prospects of moving to Australia but if I must begin my DVM career this cycle I have no choice, unless I get accepted into WesternU of Health Sciences (my in-state school but unfortunately it is private and expensive (-_-) ). I should be hearing back from them tonight. Where did you stay in terms of housing? How much rent did you have to pay? How hard is it to get a car in AUstralia as a student? Did you use the opal card for transportation? Did you actually need to end up doing the whole Police Check Certificate thing? I read that you need to have one from your home country and one from Australia by the end of yr1. What exactly did they do during the orientation week? WHere did you stay during the 1st two years vs. the last two? SOrry for all these questions...

 

[DrinkWater95]

Hello! I have also got accepted to the DVM class of 2024 in University of Sydney. I am from San Jose, CA from the USA. I am absolutely terrified of the prospects of moving to Australia but if I must begin my DVM career this cycle I have no choice, unless I get accepted into WesternU of Health Sciences (my in-state school but unfortunately it is private and expensive (-_-) ). I should be hearing back from them tonight. Where did you stay in terms of housing? How much rent did you have to pay? How hard is it to get a car in AUstralia as a student? Did you use the opal card for transportation? Did you actually need to end up doing the whole Police Check Certificate thing? I read that you need to have one from your home country and one from Australia by the end of yr1. What exactly did they do during the orientation week? WHere did you stay during the 1st two years vs. the last two? SOrry for all these questions...

Hi! Moving to a whole different country can be a daunting move but soak up the experience while you can.
Living at the dorms or with roommates is the most affordable way to live. I personally live with my husband and a roommate so my scenario is a little different. A 1 bedroom ranges between $450-700/WEEK (so ~$2000+ a month) + electricity etc. I believe the dorms are ~$350/week including electricity. A very reasonable option many students took for their first year.
I have not bought a car yet, I plan to at the end of this year. Most of the international students don’t have cars butI haven’t heard complaints from the ones that have gone through the process. I use my opal card for public transport which is very accessible and widely used in the city. Most train and bus rides will cost $3-4 one way.
I did a police check only in states, I haven’t done one in Australia, not have I heard anything about needing to do one?
During orientation week you will do a lot of ice breaker exercises. Prepare to sleep extra good each night if you’re an introvert! You’ll meet some DVM2 mentors who will help you through orientation and will answer any of your questions.
Most people stay near Sydney campus the first 2 years although we have 1-2 days a week we travel to Camden. Year 3 most people move to Camden because this is where the majority of our classes will be. During year 4, you do rotations at both the Sydney and Camden teaching hospitals as well as other places all around/out of the country if you choose. A lot of students have a home base for 4th year and sublet their apartment when they do their rotations. 4th year rotations last for 4 weeks at a time.
Let me know if you have any other questions or want clarification!

 

[Fz94]

Hi! Moving to a whole different country can be a daunting move but soak up the experience while you can.
Living at the dorms or with roommates is the most affordable way to live. I personally live with my husband and a roommate so my scenario is a little different. A 1 bedroom ranges between $450-700/WEEK (so ~$2000+ a month) + electricity etc. I believe the dorms are ~$350/week including electricity. A very reasonable option many students took for their first year.
I have not bought a car yet, I plan to at the end of this year. Most of the international students don’t have cars butI haven’t heard complaints from the ones that have gone through the process. I use my opal card for public transport which is very accessible and widely used in the city. Most train and bus rides will cost $3-4 one way.
I did a police check only in states, I haven’t done one in Australia, not have I heard anything about needing to do one?
During orientation week you will do a lot of ice breaker exercises. Prepare to sleep extra good each night if you’re an introvert! You’ll meet some DVM2 mentors who will help you through orientation and will answer any of your questions.
Most people stay near Sydney campus the first 2 years although we have 1-2 days a week we travel to Camden. Year 3 most people move to Camden because this is where the majority of our classes will be. During year 4, you do rotations at both the Sydney and Camden teaching hospitals as well as other places all around/out of the country if you choose. A lot of students have a home base for 4th year and sublet their apartment when they do their rotations. 4th year rotations last for 4 weeks at a time.
Let me know if you have any other questions or want clarification!

Just out of curiosity do you happen to know the acceptance rate for University of Sydney Vet School? Im considering perhaps I should simply decline my offer this year, strengthen my application and apply again next year, as such I wanted to know how hard it is to get into the program. Also is it possible to transfer out of University of Sydney?

 

[Fz94]

Also wondering how many applied to the university this year, and how many actually got it. According to the VMCAS college descriptors page 22 Australian, and 27 International students get selected.

 

[DrinkWater95]

Also wondering how many applied to the university this year, and how many actually got it. According to the VMCAS college descriptors page 22 Australian, and 27 International students get selected.

Just out of curiosity do you happen to know the acceptance rate for University of Sydney Vet School? Im considering perhaps I should simply decline my offer this year, strengthen my application and apply again next year, as such I wanted to know how hard it is to get into the program. Also is it possible to transfer out of University of Sydney?

I really am not sure the acceptance rate or how “easy” it is to get into USYD. I remember having trouble finding class profiles/averages when I was in your position as well. I can say that I know quite a few people that the only other places they were accepted were island schools. However, I do know many other people that received acceptances to other international/domestic schools but chose Sydney instead (myself being one of these people).
I believe my current class has 30-40 international students (not all from USA). I’m not sure the total number of international students that apply either. As an international student, we pay about 6X as much as a domestic students, so we are definitely subsidizing domestic students. For this reason, I believe the school will continue to accept large numbers of internationals.
You can transfer out of Sydney, but don’t go into a college expecting to get a transfer. It’s much harder to transfer into a school than be accepted into the commencement of the degree. The amount of transfer seats depends on the number of students that drop out after the 1st year. Additionally, many schools do not accept transfers in the states and will require you to start from scratch.

 

[Fz94]

SO this is probably a dumb question but is there a class of 2024 group forum for USYD? Also I am currently struggling to find housing right now and I plan on leaving home to SYD on Feb13th. Ill be staying in a hotel near campus for the first 2 weeks until I can find accommodation. I have applied to Sydney University Village and have also applied to on and off campus housings via the University application site. I had actually almost secured a studio apartment in Sydney University village but I was hesitant to pay the deposit fee because they have a terrible cancellation policy (in case I got admission in a US school), where I would only get a portion of the deposit back if I cancelled and I would need to keep paying rent until they found someone to take my place. At the time it was around late December and I was hopeful that I would have gotten accepted into a US school but that didn't work out. If I had future vision I would locked down on the deposit -_-. Do you have any suggestions in regards to housing near the university?

 

[DrinkWater95]

SO this is probably a dumb question but is there a class of 2024 group forum for USYD? Also I am currently struggling to find housing right now and I plan on leaving home to SYD on Feb13th. Ill be staying in a hotel near campus for the first 2 weeks until I can find accommodation. I have applied to Sydney University Village and have also applied to on and off campus housings via the University application site. I had actually almost secured a studio apartment in Sydney University village but I was hesitant to pay the deposit fee because they have a terrible cancellation policy (in case I got admission in a US school), where I would only get a portion of the deposit back if I cancelled and I would need to keep paying rent until they found someone to take my place. At the time it was around late December and I was hopeful that I would have gotten accepted into a US school but that didn't work out. If I had future vision I would locked down on the deposit -_-. Do you have any suggestions in regards to housing near the university?

I believe I recall seeing a c/o 2024 on the site. Give it a quick search and it should come up. You guys also have a Facebook page that some of my classmates set up for you. It’s titled USYD DVM - class of 2023. You guys will technically be 2023 class because we graduate in December.
honestly, the housing situation here can be pretty hectic, especially at the start of the year. It’s pretty competitive and you have to go on quite a few inspections. Once you go on an inspection, you have to put an application in quickly if you like it. A lot of the times there will be a line next to “rent per week” and it will be blank. You can offer under/over or the amount the landlord is offering. I never offered over the offering price and was able to find a place the first day, but I don’t think it’s always that easy. Keep in mind, all the prices of rent are listed by week, not month.
I don’t really have advice on living close to campus because I don’t live super close and haven’t lived in the dorms. You can download these apps called domain and Realestate. They help you see places available within your price range and list out all the inspection times.

 

[youstinatutti]

Has anyone who applied gotten rejected by any chance or know of anyone who got rejected? (more specifically a U.S. student)
I'm curious as to how competitive they are...

 

[LXR]

Hi,
I am a US student applying to Sydney vet via VMCAS 2020 start. I never got an answer about the sending syllabi question for Sydney? I tried to email them about it and no response (there was only 1 space to upload a document and they wanted syllabi for all prereqs?) I ended out just submitting my VMCAS without it. I haven't heard from them yet (although I see some years didn't hear until NOV tho the website said OCT 14 in the past) ... anyway, I am worried they may not even look at my application? How can I contact them to see if they have everything they need for my application? I also don't see anything about a portal?
thanks for any info or contact suggestions!

 

[WonderingStudent]

Hi,
I am a US student applying to Sydney vet via VMCAS 2020 start. I never got an answer about the sending syllabi question for Sydney? I tried to email them about it and no response (there was only 1 space to upload a document and they wanted syllabi for all prereqs?) I ended out just submitting my VMCAS without it. I haven't heard from them yet (although I see some years didn't hear until NOV tho the website said OCT 14 in the past) ... anyway, I am worried they may not even look at my application? How can I contact them to see if they have everything they need for my application? I also don't see anything about a portal?
thanks for any info or contact suggestions!

When you send them a question on Sydney’s website it creates a portal for you but either way when I asked about the compilation of syllabi last year they never ended up responding to me. Another way to get a quicker answer is calling them. I got Skype and did a free 30 day trial calling Australia through there so that I didn’t have to pay something crazy for the phone bill.

I submitted a compilation (one document) of all syllabi for all of the school’s prereqs on VMCAS with pages explaining any differences from what was covered in the undergrad courses that they have there. You should definitely ask if they need you to submit that and if so if you are able to at this point.