VMCAS 2012- when?

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lostbunny

lostbunny

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Hi Everyone,

Just wondering when VMCAS 2012 thing will open? I know its uber early, but I've never used VMCAS before, so just wondering when everything is ready for the 2012 people?

Thanks
 
You might find this interesting, but apparently in April/May, they open VMCAS every year for a trial run until it officially opens. Anyone can log on, create an account and mess around with the application, HOWEVER just before they open it officially, the wipe the system. So you can't get a head start, just get familiar with the program.

Not something i knew when I applied, but I met with someone from VMCAS last fall when he was visiting our school (wanted to meet and chat with our PVC officers) and he told the 2 of us about it. I recently emailed him for the info and he said it should be up in a week or so and would send me the link. I'll be sure to come back and post it then!
 
VMCAS was vague about the opening date on the website, sometime end of May/early June. The submission date is Oct. 3, 2012.
 
jmo1012 said:
You might find this interesting, but apparently in April/May, they open VMCAS every year for a trial run until it officially opens. Anyone can log on, create an account and mess around with the application, HOWEVER just before they open it officially, the wipe the system. So you can't get a head start, just get familiar with the program.

Not something i knew when I applied, but I met with someone from VMCAS last fall when he was visiting our school (wanted to meet and chat with our PVC officers) and he told the 2 of us about it. I recently emailed him for the info and he said it should be up in a week or so and would send me the link. I'll be sure to come back and post it then!
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It's open for 4 months.... so I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to fill out your information 2x. VMCAS is not like medical school where you want to turn in your app in the first few weeks. Doesn't matter if you submit June 5th or Oct 2.
 
CurrySpice said:
It's open for 4 months.... so I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to fill out your information 2x. VMCAS is not like medical school where you want to turn in your app in the first few weeks. Doesn't matter if you submit June 5th or Oct 2.
Click to expand...

I got a different impression at the VMRCVM open house. They said they look at applications as soon as they are completed. Now, they didn't say there are rolling admissions, but it seemed like they were suggesting it was preferable to not wait until the final day. :shrug:
 
They may look at them as they get them, but in the end, they look at ALL of them and let everyone know about interviews at the same time. So, I don't think that early submission could (or should) give you any sort of advantage.
 
twelvetigers said:
They may look at them as they get them, but in the end, they look at ALL of them and let everyone know about interviews at the same time. So, I don't think that early submission could (or should) give you any sort of advantage.
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Haha, diggin the new avatar!
 
twelvetigers said:
They may look at them as they get them, but in the end, they look at ALL of them and let everyone know about interviews at the same time. So, I don't think that early submission could (or should) give you any sort of advantage.
Click to expand...

this is totally correct. better to take your time and double/triple check everything than worry about getting it in early because you wont find out about interview invites until everyone else does.

BUT.....I would recommend submitting it a couple weeks before the deadline in case they have any technological glitches. And when it comes to supplementals....DONT leave them to the last minute. ....of course TT and I would nnnnneeeeevvvvvver do that *)
 
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Hey TT! You got a new avatar!!!!! Still totally awesome, but I kinda miss the old one too.... 🙂

I had no idea about the trial run! - I think it would ahve been useful for me last year because I could have taken a look at exactly what information they were looking for and gotten a headstart on some of the paperwork. Unfortunately, a lot of my hisotry that needed to be entered was JUST BEFORE they started putting stuff on the internet (for scholarships etc) so I ended up having to contact a lot of my schoools directly for documentation if I didn't ahve it in my files.

They get until October???????? Although maybe it's a good thing I didn't get to procrastinate even later.

I had my application done by August....and then ahd to wait and wait and wait for several the LORs. LOL. Most of you probably had a similar experience. 🙂 1 of them got done after a reminder. 2 more got done after daily reminders. the last got done after I made a meeting with him and sat down in his office a week before the deadline.....
 
Ooooooh AHorseoffCourse made a great remark about ELORS. Ask early!!!! I decided at the last minute to apply last year and I only gave my ELORS 3 - 4 weeks notice. While that might sound like a lot of time, it really isn't and I was sweating bullets waiting for them to submit their letters/evaluations. Definitely ask early in case anyone flakes or forgets. That way you have time to give a friendly reminder...or two
 
And another warning. Follow up often and EARLY. I asked my LOR writers in May to write me LORs......I gave them the end of July as a deadline. I followed up once in July. No one got them done. I followed up weekly in August - no one got them done.....I started following up daily in September and that's when I finally saw people getting them done. Most of my LOR (3/4) work for the same company (in different capacities) and will shamelessly admit that once I moved to daily reminders I stopped BCCing people and did e-mails where they could see who they were "competing" against. In my daily reminders, they got to see who got them done and who didn't. 🙂 That was the most effective motivator I think! LOL. It was all friendly of course, but I think it helped them to have some peer pressure in addition to me asking nicely. 🙂 However this could also backfire, so I'm not necessarily recommending it - just sharing a story. 🙂

Edit - it's a fine line between bugging/pestering, and also being able to demonstrate you have initiative, will follow up etc. Think of your follow up process as something that may be documented in the LOR - ie your ability to "pester" someone in a professional way, how you motivate people etc. 🙂
 
AHorseOffCourse said:
And another warning. Follow up often and EARLY.
Click to expand...
Especially with people that aren't computer savvy. One of the vets I asked was very hesitant to submit the recommendation via the vmcas site and she kept asking if she could just type up a letter and mail it. It made me so nervous! If you are asking anyone like this make sure they know they can contact vmcas for assistance
 
i definitely wouldnt fill it out twice, but i think it would help alleviate some of the anxiety associated with the application. i know here at my school, a lot of people are nervous about the app not knowing very much about. having filled it out, its not difficult, just time consuming (and in some cases obnoxious! transcripts....)
i took the time to go through every part of my VMCAS with my club last fall but i'm sure there will be plenty of students who want to take a peek at what theyre up against (seriously, don't stress out about it, its not hard!)
 
I planned on submitting my VMCAS in September a month before the deadline (or whenever it was for us c/o 2015ers). That way, I had plenty of time to fix issues if something went wrong with the submission. I was also able to add on a whole summer's experience of work that I could not have put on had I submitted it earlier in June. I did write my PS and all of the supplemental essays, early, though. I wanted to have all summer to come back to them, edit them, and perfect them to my liking. 🙂 I also submitted all of my transcripts very early into the summer, too. I knew there would be problems since I was sending transcripts from four schools (I had to do distance learning for some courses my undergrad didn't have...and of course, you have to send in a transcript for EVERY school you "attended", even if it was for dual credit in HS), and I was worried about the schools matching up my four transcripts since I had changed my last name when I got married so there were two different last names. Indeed, there were problems, but luckily I had all summer to sort things out with the schools! I applied to 8 schools, so I had to end up sending 32 transcripts in total. That was a lot to keep track of!

Anyway, I'm getting off track. The point I'm trying to make is that, if you're like me and you want to start working on your VMCAS asap, then write your PS and supplemental essays early. You'll have the whole summer to edit them. And you can go ahead and fill out most of the VMCAS early, too, but wait to submit until you can add a few hundred more hours on it from a summer full of vet experience!
 
Definitely take as much of the time as you can to make your personal statement the greatest representation of yourself you've ever made. Personally it took a lot of time to sift through everything and figure out what really represents yourself. I know the anectodal intro I wrote I liked a lot but my friends still say it sounded like a soft porno.. Guess it didn't upset anyone too much 🙂
 
Talking of elors, the one vet I worked for is very old fashioned and is not internet savvy. He has to look up his user name and password for his email everytime he HAS to use it. Unfortunately, he never got around to filling out an elor for me even though I reminded him every week for 3 wks and then every other day the last week. Thankfully, I still got an interview without it. If he didn't live 10 hours away, I would have went down and helped him through it.:laugh:
The other vet I shadowed, passed several years ago. But I was able to get 2 from professors, 2 from employers, and 1 from advisor.

I think the perfect time to ask for elors is 2 months befor the deadline because it is not too far off for them to forget, but gives them some wriggle room if they need it.
 
Here's another thing to consider. When you go look at your supplementals, there is a good chance you will go... "Ugh. What the hell am I going to write about for THAT?" (Especially if you are applying to Ohio... just sayin'.) So, you will need time to brainstorm for those. I wasn't planning on finishing those up so last-minute, but it took me nearly three weeks to think of things to write about that I found satisfactory. So... give yourself time to ruminate on it a bit. :d
 
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Hey all... great conversation here. Let me shed some light on a few things from the thread:

  • This year's application is called "VMCAS 2012".. 2012 is the year you will matriculate.
  • The "Test" application is more for VMCAS to make sure that the new application works. We want to lower the number of problems you have when filling it out. But it does give you a look at what the real one looks and feels like.
  • The "REAL" VMCAS application will go live on June 2nd, 2011.
  • The DEADLINE for the VMCAS application AND Evaluations is October 3rd, 2011.
  • The VMCAS Student & Advisor Hotline (202)682-0750 (or emails: [email protected]) is staffed from 9:30am to 5:00pm Eastern Time.. if you have any questions.
  • VMCS 2012 WILL be opening its own forum soon.. watch our website for more information!! You asked for it, we're giving it to you!
Here's our Website: http://www.aavmc.org/Students-Appli...nary-Medical-College-Application-Service.aspx or http://www.aavmc.org

We're here to help applicants any way we can.. don't hesitate to contact us 🙂

~Tony~
 
Nice to see my old post has risen from the dead!! spooky!

Anyways I was playing with the VMCAS account, and I thought it was useful since I haven't seen VMCAS or used it before. But I thought a lot of the questions on the VMCAS were really annoying and useless- like your parent/guardian information, ALL the uni's/colleges you've ever received acceptance to in your life, including the ones you declined, etc. I got the feeling they are just trying to get a ton of statistical info, which to me, takes away from the authenticity of it.

There are other agents that are simply there to help you get into vet schools, and don't ask you what color underwear you were wearing 4 years ago on this day. If I'm applying to say, the AVMA accredited school in Hobbiton, then why is it relevant if my parents were residents/citizens of Canada?

After going through the 'fake' VMCAS application, I probably won't be using them.

Having said that, the schools I am applying do use other agents other then VMCAS.
 
Do they really ask about all colleges you have ever been accepted and rejected to? Geeze! My past is just gonna follow me around forever isn't it?
 
HelloNello said:
Do they really ask about all colleges you have ever been accepted and rejected to? Geeze! My past is just gonna follow me around forever isn't it?
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I did not fill this section out (because I didn't know it existed!) and no questions were raised. So, I don't think it has any significance. 🙂
 
psilovethomas said:
I did not fill this section out (because I didn't know it existed!) and no questions were raised. So, I don't think it has any significance. 🙂
Click to expand...

You probably did - it was just the section about what schools you've attended. It asked you to list the universities you have been accepted to, and then to list the ones that you've chosen to attend. So, if you applied to two or three state universities and one private school, you would list them all, but then you would also list the one you chose to attend.

You might not have thought much of it if you, like me, only applied to one undergraduate school... and then attended that one undergraduate school. Made things simple, that's for sure.
 
HelloNello said:
Do they really ask about all colleges you have ever been accepted and rejected to? Geeze! My past is just gonna follow me around forever isn't it?
Click to expand...

Interesting. In my case, I had about six colleges offering me full scholarships when I was a senior in highschool, but I only ever applied to one of them. I wonder if that is something I should mention (if I ever end up applying..). I mean, I was only accepted to one officially, but virtually accepted to all six.
Dunno.
 
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bee83 said:
Interesting. In my case, I had about six colleges offering me full scholarships when I was a senior in highschool, but I only ever applied to one of them. I wonder if that is something I should mention (if I ever end up applying..). I mean, I was only accepted to one officially, but virtually accepted to all six.
Dunno.
Click to expand...

I really don't think it's that technical. They mean if you have applied and been accepted to a college.... not if one college has determined you eligible/offered scholarships out of their own choosing without you requesting acceptance, just as if you have applied and been rejected from a college.
 
bee83 said:
Interesting. In my case, I had about six colleges offering me full scholarships when I was a senior in highschool, but I only ever applied to one of them. I wonder if that is something I should mention (if I ever end up applying..). I mean, I was only accepted to one officially, but virtually accepted to all six.
Dunno.
Click to expand...

I don't think you'd want to add them to the section that we've been talking about; it's really only for schools you've applied to.

But: I wouldn't hesitate to note the scholarship offers in the Awards/etc section of the application. Not one bit.
 
Regretfully, they're right. Most schools don't care. In fact, we are looking at removing this section of the appliation in future iterations of it.. BUT.. since it's there now, PLEASE continue to populate the fields: All schools you applied to and were accepted to.. regardless of whether you matriculated or not. 🙂
 
lostbunny said:
Nice to see my old post has risen from the dead!! spooky!

Anyways I was playing with the VMCAS account, and I thought it was useful since I haven't seen VMCAS or used it before. But I thought a lot of the questions on the VMCAS were really annoying and useless- like your parent/guardian information, ALL the uni's/colleges you've ever received acceptance to in your life, including the ones you declined, etc. I got the feeling they are just trying to get a ton of statistical info, which to me, takes away from the authenticity of it.

There are other agents that are simply there to help you get into vet schools, and don't ask you what color underwear you were wearing 4 years ago on this day. If I'm applying to say, the AVMA accredited school in Hobbiton, then why is it relevant if my parents were residents/citizens of Canada?

After going through the 'fake' VMCAS application, I probably won't be using them.

Having said that, the schools I am applying do use other agents other then VMCAS.
Click to expand...
Hi There.. interesting post regarding the VMCAS application. No need for me to go into too many details about why we ask the questions we ask, except to say that 100% of the question on our VMCAS application comes from the schools you are applying to.

All universities and colleges seek statistical information to baseline their applicant pool year to year. This information is, in fact, critical to funding for many of the schools.

Regardless, you'll be happy to know that the VMCAS Admissions Commitee (Our governing body) will be reviewing the application carefully to see if there are questions that are no longer needed. Who knows? Applicants in the future may see a streamlined VMCAS application 🙂

Cheers~
 
VMCAS--can you comment on the reclassification of research to animal or employment experience? We were discussing it in another thread, and it doesn't seem intuitive. Thanks 🙂
 
VMCAS001 said:
All universities and colleges seek statistical information to baseline their applicant pool year to year. This information is, in fact, critical to funding for many of the schools.
Click to expand...

ah, thanks for explaining, didn't even think about funding!
 
twelvetigers said:
Here's the thread:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=818759

Yes, please fill us in about this change.
Click to expand...
Here's a cross-post to the other thread in response to the health professional classification:

Hey all... interesting thread here. Before defining "health professional" we made a series of calls to some of the larger veterinary schools to ask them what their definition was. To our surprise, they said that a Dr. of Biology is *not* a health professional, despite the fact that they may be teaching a "health related" course.

It is directly due to the replies we received from the schools that we added this definition to the application.

My advise to you would be to follow the directions as best you can, and if you feel the classification is *that* fuzzy, please put a short line in your explanation statement to clarify your selection.

Hope this helps a little...
 
HelloNello said:
What would be my student status if I attended community college concurrently in high school? Should I put non-matriculated? Also, what do we do with AP courses?

How should we indicate that a hospital we worked at had multiple doctors?
Click to expand...

If you pop over to the VMCAS Questions thread here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=11082204#post11082204
you will find that we're talking about some of those questions - many of us have worked at multiple Dr practices. For most of mine I simply indicate it in the description. If it is a specialty type practice where you spent time in each specialty, you may be able to list each Dr separately. I'm not sure how to answer your question about your CC enrollment while in high school tho.
 
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