Washington State University c/o 2024

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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KiwiKaykmoku said:
Got the dreaded 'we regret to inform you' letter today. I knew my chances weren't great going in, but it still is a pretty hard pill to swallow. Definitely applying next year and definitely to more than just 1 school. To those who are in the same boat as me dont give up! I work with great doctors that had to go through 2 and 3 cycles to make it in. I requested an application review, so I'm going to figure out what I need to work on and try again. Congrats to those who made it through, you guys are going to do great things!
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I’m sorry to hear it 🙁 I’ve been rejected by some and accepted by some so it feels random some times. Are you IS or OOS by any chance?
 
dogtor28 said:
It was sent as an email and it is also a message on my WSU supplemental application notification page
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Good to know that is Idaho residents get our invites as “IS” students. This way I’ve got a better idea of when to expect it next cycle. Applying next fall
 
Snooky11meli said:
I’m sorry to hear it 🙁 I’ve been rejected by some and accepted by some so it feels random some times. Are you IS or OOS by any chance?
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IS, I have a application review with Dr. Talcott on Dec 2nd. I've signed up to retake some of my pre-recs since everytime I looked at my supplemental app the Cs I made at the start of my college career were burning holes in my eyes. This was what I think my biggest down fall was with my application. But, now I'm running into the problem of not being eligible for financial aid, because I've already taken so many hours and graduated. So now I'm stuck either trying to figure out how to pay for a pretty full course work of classes next semester (which I got left with all the teachers that other students didnt want to take ) or possibly do a transfer from Ross...

Does anyone know much about that process? I assume I would only be able to transfer if someone dropped out and it would be after my 1st year. Has anyone hear of this happening for Logan students?
 
KiwiKaykmoku said:
IS, I have a application review with Dr. Talcott on Dec 2nd. I've signed up to retake some of my pre-recs since everytime I looked at my supplemental app the Cs I made at the start of my college career were burning holes in my eyes. This was what I think my biggest down fall was with my application. But, now I'm running into the problem of not being eligible for financial aid, because I've already taken so many hours and graduated. So now I'm stuck either trying to figure out how to pay for a pretty full course work of classes next semester (which I got left with all the teachers that other students didnt want to take ) or possibly do a transfer from Ross...

Does anyone know much about that process? I assume I would only be able to transfer if someone dropped out and it would be after my 1st year. Has anyone hear of this happening for Logan students?
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Here’s my take on that. The thing with transfers is that many schools will only take incoming third years, so you’ll likely have to spend two years in the Caribbean (Washington state might asses multiple years I’m not sure, but if you wanted to send more than one app out consider that). Schools also have a limited number of seats, so you have to hope some other kid drops out (which may or may not happen). Then you have to hope if a seat does open up, that you are the best candidate that applied to fill it. To me, that’s not an option to bank on. It seems less likely than just getting into vet school in the first place. Vet school is expensive so you want to make sure you’re paying to be where you want to be for the next four years. If Ross isn’t it, then turn them down and reapply to WSU next year.
 
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KiwiKaykmoku said:
IS, I have a application review with Dr. Talcott on Dec 2nd. I've signed up to retake some of my pre-recs since everytime I looked at my supplemental app the Cs I made at the start of my college career were burning holes in my eyes. This was what I think my biggest down fall was with my application. But, now I'm running into the problem of not being eligible for financial aid, because I've already taken so many hours and graduated. So now I'm stuck either trying to figure out how to pay for a pretty full course work of classes next semester (which I got left with all the teachers that other students didnt want to take ) or possibly do a transfer from Ross...

Does anyone know much about that process? I assume I would only be able to transfer if someone dropped out and it would be after my 1st year. Has anyone hear of this happening for Logan students?
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My advice to you is do your file review. I would recommend NOT going to Ross. Becoming a veterinarian is not worth that-go read some of the Ross threads-high attrition(due to various issues but still), loan issues, etc. WSU doesn't even have a 4th year clinical contract with them-why idk, but something to consider. My guess is it's also probably very difficult to transfer to WSU/USU from somewhere else unless they also have a surgical program semester 1/year 1 depending on when you wanted to transfer. WSU has a very small attrition rate especially after year 1-we lost one person but gained one from the class above so they wouldn't have accepted a transfer due to size restrictions for labs and such. Most people are lost year 2 of fall or year 3 of fall and that's at most 1-3 people total over the 2 semesters. Sure there are some anomalies but overall that's usual. So most of the time "open slots" get filled by upperclassmen who have decided to repeat. I don't know of any transfers that existed in the 4th year class last year, or the current 4th-2nd years. I know it's difficult, but I highly encourage you to explore your possibilities. If you can, take a year or two and get a full time job, do school part time, get more varied experience. Even just waiting and applying another cycle to more than one school I think is a great option. It's a heavy decision regardless, but I hope you consider waiting and reapplying.
 
KiwiKaykmoku said:
IS, I have a application review with Dr. Talcott on Dec 2nd. I've signed up to retake some of my pre-recs since everytime I looked at my supplemental app the Cs I made at the start of my college career were burning holes in my eyes. This was what I think my biggest down fall was with my application. But, now I'm running into the problem of not being eligible for financial aid, because I've already taken so many hours and graduated. So now I'm stuck either trying to figure out how to pay for a pretty full course work of classes next semester (which I got left with all the teachers that other students didnt want to take ) or possibly do a transfer from Ross...

Does anyone know much about that process? I assume I would only be able to transfer if someone dropped out and it would be after my 1st year. Has anyone hear of this happening for Logan students?
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Girl, I feel you, I really do. I was/am in a similar situation. This will be my 3rd time interviewing at WSU. I absolutely know how devastating it is to get that rejection letter; it feels like the end of the world and leaves you wondering what to do next and what your life is going to look like now. WSU is great about doing file reviews- do yours and do what Dr. T says.

No hate on Ross here as I know awesome vets who went there, but I would say that you definitely should not go to a school if your only goal is to transfer out of there. Here’s what I’ve been doing between applications: I also have no financial aid so I worked for a year to earn money to retake some classes. I am working full time and taking 1 class at a time- about to finish my retake of Organic Chemistry with an A so high I can bomb the final and it won’t matter. Take classes at a community college, they’re way cheaper. I wouldn’t worry about WSU not accepting CC classes as all of my gen chem, gen bio, physics, basic microbiology, and my humanities credits came from CC via running start.

The past couple of years have been full of awesome hands on learning experiences. When I applied the first time I didn’t know how to draw blood on a fractious cat, place
an IVC, position for/take radiographs, monitor anesthesia, scale and polish teeth, etc. Now I have experience doing all of that and when I am asked at interviews “what would you do if xxxxxxx happens?” I don’t have to rack my brain for an answer; I can think of examples from my clinical experience.

If vet school is what you really want then you’re going to get there. Don’t feel like you have to rush into school as you never know what sorts of opportunities you will miss if you don’t take some time off. For me, I really thought about how much money I would save in the long run by taking a year to work and improve my application. As a WA resident, the odds are good you’ll get in if you keep trying and make the improvements they ask for.

Hopefully that didn’t sound preachy- I totally commiserate with you. If you’re anything like me and make good use of the year off, should you choose to take it, I think you’ll find it was valuable to have in the long run.
 
MixedAnimals77 said:
My advice to you is do your file review. I would recommend NOT going to Ross. Becoming a veterinarian is not worth that-go read some of the Ross threads-high attrition(due to various issues but still), loan issues, etc. WSU doesn't even have a 4th year clinical contract with them-why idk, but something to consider. My guess is it's also probably very difficult to transfer to WSU/USU from somewhere else unless they also have a surgical program semester 1/year 1 depending on when you wanted to transfer. WSU has a very small attrition rate especially after year 1-we lost one person but gained one from the class above so they wouldn't have accepted a transfer due to size restrictions for labs and such. Most people are lost year 2 of fall or year 3 of fall and that's at most 1-3 people total over the 2 semesters. Sure there are some anomalies but overall that's usual. So most of the time "open slots" get filled by upperclassmen who have decided to repeat. I don't know of any transfers that existed in the 4th year class last year, or the current 4th-2nd years. I know it's difficult, but I highly encourage you to explore your possibilities. If you can, take a year or two and get a full time job, do school part time, get more varied experience. Even just waiting and applying another cycle to more than one school I think is a great option. It's a heavy decision regardless, but I hope you consider waiting and reapplying.
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Interestingly we lost 2 and it's not even 1 semester in😳
 
I don’t know of any transfers in from other schools, island students or otherwise, in any of the classes during my time here. I would definitely not go to Ross if you’re intent is to transfer out ASAP.

Some schools do try to fill any empty spots and tend to take lots of island student transfers (ok state I believe has quite a few), but WSU does not. The number of students lost per class is really variable. My class lost 8 total I think? Almost all from people leaving due to personal reasons. The class below me I think has only lost like 3 for similar reasons.

I would definitely not count on spaces opening up or a transfer being granted. If you decide to go to Ross, you should plan on it being for all of vet school. A transfer is going to be the exception, not the rule.
 
MixedAnimals77 said:
My advice to you is do your file review. I would recommend NOT going to Ross. Becoming a veterinarian is not worth that-go read some of the Ross threads-high attrition(due to various issues but still), loan issues, etc. WSU doesn't even have a 4th year clinical contract with them-why idk, but something to consider. My guess is it's also probably very difficult to transfer to WSU/USU from somewhere else unless they also have a surgical program semester 1/year 1 depending on when you wanted to transfer. WSU has a very small attrition rate especially after year 1-we lost one person but gained one from the class above so they wouldn't have accepted a transfer due to size restrictions for labs and such. Most people are lost year 2 of fall or year 3 of fall and that's at most 1-3 people total over the 2 semesters. Sure there are some anomalies but overall that's usual. So most of the time "open slots" get filled by upperclassmen who have decided to repeat. I don't know of any transfers that existed in the 4th year class last year, or the current 4th-2nd years. I know it's difficult, but I highly encourage you to explore your possibilities. If you can, take a year or two and get a full time job, do school part time, get more varied experience. Even just waiting and applying another cycle to more than one school I think is a great option. It's a heavy decision regardless, but I hope you consider waiting and reapplying.
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I have worked in the vet field for 7 years, which basically means it is the ONLY place I have ever worked, lol. So I have a ton of experience in that plus some zoo/ wildlife stuff I did a few years ago and FFA working with goats for 7 years as well growing up, so as far as working with animals with a vet, or without a vet I have down pretty solid. I'm also going to take the VTNE and become certified in March so that will also look good and not seem like I'm stagnant. My biggest fault on my application was just some of my grades when I started school and had no idea that science classes were way harder and I had to actually apply myself and then I transferred to a bigger school and completely bombed a few semesters before moving to Utah and making stellar grades in all upper bio classes working full time and taking classes full time. I think the community college option for classes might be a smart choice like @lamasandcows said. I'm already 27 years old so I dont want to waste any years and I'm also very impatient (I'm trying to work on it), lol.

Thank you guys for the insight. I think I might be able to scrounge up cash from my savings, refund check, and possibly mom and dad, lol.

As for the classes I've already signed up for, I'm not happy about them since I signed up so late I got the last pick and the professors are rated terrible. I want to make sure I have a professor that is compassionate and understands my situation and that I will be communicating with them the entire semester to make sure I am doing well and going to them for help. My plan is to keep the classes I signed up for, but when Dec 4th comes around for non-payment, I'm going to try to swoop in and grab a seat in the classes I would like.

I think I may also go the WICHE route next year for some other schools like Oregon and Colorado. Has any Utah people here done that and do you have to sign up on the WICHE website to do that or how does it all work?
 
KiwiKaykmoku said:
I have worked in the vet field for 7 years, which basically means it is the ONLY place I have ever worked, lol. So I have a ton of experience in that plus some zoo/ wildlife stuff I did a few years ago and FFA working with goats for 7 years as well growing up, so as far as working with animals with a vet, or without a vet I have down pretty solid. I'm also going to take the VTNE and become certified in March so that will also look good and not seem like I'm stagnant. My biggest fault on my application was just some of my grades when I started school and had no idea that science classes were way harder and I had to actually apply myself and then I transferred to a bigger school and completely bombed a few semesters before moving to Utah and making stellar grades in all upper bio classes working full time and taking classes full time. I think the community college option for classes might be a smart choice like @lamasandcows said. I'm already 27 years old so I dont want to waste any years and I'm also very impatient (I'm trying to work on it), lol.

Thank you guys for the insight. I think I might be able to scrounge up cash from my savings, refund check, and possibly mom and dad, lol.

As for the classes I've already signed up for, I'm not happy about them since I signed up so late I got the last pick and the professors are rated terrible. I want to make sure I have a professor that is compassionate and understands my situation and that I will be communicating with them the entire semester to make sure I am doing well and going to them for help. My plan is to keep the classes I signed up for, but when Dec 4th comes around for non-payment, I'm going to try to swoop in and grab a seat in the classes I would like.

I think I may also go the WICHE route next year for some other schools like Oregon and Colorado. Has any Utah people here done that and do you have to sign up on the WICHE website to do that or how does it all work?
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Utah students are not able to get WICHE anymore since they’re part of the WIMU program. Montana and Idaho are the same since WSU is considered the IS for all three.
 
KiwiKaykmoku said:
IS, I have a application review with Dr. Talcott on Dec 2nd. I've signed up to retake some of my pre-recs since everytime I looked at my supplemental app the Cs I made at the start of my college career were burning holes in my eyes. This was what I think my biggest down fall was with my application. But, now I'm running into the problem of not being eligible for financial aid, because I've already taken so many hours and graduated. So now I'm stuck either trying to figure out how to pay for a pretty full course work of classes next semester (which I got left with all the teachers that other students didnt want to take ) or possibly do a transfer from Ross...

Does anyone know much about that process? I assume I would only be able to transfer if someone dropped out and it would be after my 1st year. Has anyone hear of this happening for Logan students?
Click to expand...

I would also look into unique experiences to make you stand out! Washington especially wants well rounded students, so maybe try to get hours in other areas like research or community service?[/QUOTE]
 
Caiter92 said:
Utah students are not able to get WICHE anymore since they’re part of the WIMU program. Montana and Idaho are the same since WSU is considered the IS for all three.
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I meant applying as a WICHE student to other schools. I would still apply IS to Logan next year, not WICHE. It looks like Utah still is part of the program State Highlights | WICHE
 

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exotics&wildlifehopeful said:
We’ve lost 2 so far at Ross as well, I just didn’t realize it would happen at the same rate at WSU. I totally get it though.
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We lost two at Penn. One went to another school for personal reasons at the end of orientation (got in off the waitlist) and another decided she wanted to pursue a PhD instead. It happens.
 
KiwiKaykmoku said:
I meant applying as a WICHE student to other schools. I would still apply IS to Logan next year, not WICHE. It looks like Utah still is part of the program State Highlights | WICHE
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Utah still participated in WICHE for other fields, but like Caiter said, no longer participates for veterinary medicine! Since you have a school that you’re considered an in state student for, they no longer fund WICHE for vetmed since you’re not OOS at every school 🙂
7276702B-77B4-4207-B820-006E508C5874.png
 
SkiOtter said:
Utah still participated in WICHE for other fields, but like Caiter said, no longer participates for veterinary medicine! Since you have a school that you’re considered an in state student for, they no longer fund WICHE for vetmed since you’re not OOS at every school 🙂
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Ya, sorry I didnt realize that. Thank you both for clearing that up for me.
 
I am a long-time lurker and a first time poster. I have found everyone's insights very helpful since I am a Utah resident and a second time applicant. I did not get an interview last year from anywhere I applied but this year I decided to spend my money getting an MPH degree and I actually met with Dr. Talcott in person this year. I probably should have gone back and retaken some of my classes but in the end for the money it made more sense to get an MPH and during my file reviews with other schools they recommended a graduate degree. This year I finally got a chance to interviews and I am scheduled for an interview on Jan. 15 in Logan. Curious how many people they typically interview for Logan slots?

PS: Dr Talcott referenced a web site for interview help. I forgot to write it down. Does anyone have a clue what that might be?
 
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DVMdrmn said:
I am a long-time lurker and a first time poster. I have found everyone's input helpful. I am a Utah resident and a second time applicant. I did not get an interview last year from anywhere I applied. I probably should have gone back and retaken some of my classes but in the end for the money it made more sense to get an MPH. I am scheduled for an interview on Jan. 15 in Logan. Curious how many people they typically interview for Logan slots?

PS: Dr Talcott referenced a web site for interview help. I forgot to write it down. Does anyone have a clue what that might be?
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When I had spoken with Dr Talcott she recommended that I subscribe to the AVMA Animal Health Smartbrief to stay up to date on what’s going on currently on veterinary medicine!
 
DVMdrmn said:
I am a long-time lurker and a first time poster. I have found everyone's input helpful. I am a Utah resident and a second time applicant. I did not get an interview last year from anywhere I applied. I probably should have gone back and retaken some of my classes but in the end for the money it made more sense to get an MPH. I am scheduled for an interview on Jan. 15 in Logan. Curious how many people they typically interview for Logan slots?

PS: Dr Talcott referenced a web site for interview help. I forgot to write it down. Does anyone have a clue what that might be?
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Congrats! When she came to visit our school she gave us these little booklets and called them our bible, lol. For the personal interview it says it will be 30mins with 2-4 members of the admissions committee. The questions they will ask will be behavioral and knowledge-based questions, it will be used to asses the applicant's motivation, communication and teamwork skills, compassion and empathy, professionalism, integrity and ethics, maturity, experience with a veterinarian in your desired area of interest, and knowledge of the profession. Dress accordingly, go through your application (VMCAS and Supplemental) because questions can be formed from those.

One question she was using as an example was something like this:
You have a client that is very on edge and a mistake with medication occurs in your practice, you know the accidental overdose will cause no harm to Fluffy and it will cause Ms. Jackson to get very upset, do you tell the owner or let it go?
She went in to say that even though many of us want to say yes to this question in reality we are not going to tell the owner in every situation. I have seen and done this many times, which is sad, but mistakes happen and that's the truth. If you give a dog a double dose of Pyrantel or Pro-heart it wont hurt them. Obviously learning from these incidents are vital for your practice, so figure out what went wrong and change it. I've seen a 1st year doctor give Antipamezole/Ansedan IV to a immobilized pet which is WRONG and he tried to argue with us that that's how he was taught in school even though the vial clearly states to give it IM. Did he tell the owner? No, he was also very prideful, but the dog ended up being okay. I think when something happens like this it is our obligation to call the company who manufactures it to see what repercussions can occur and if it is bad then yes absolutely tell the owner.
 
KiwiKaykmoku said:
Congrats! When she came to visit our school she gave us these little booklets and called them our bible, lol. For the personal interview it says it will be 30mins with 2-4 members of the admissions committee. The questions they will ask will be behavioral and knowledge-based questions, it will be used to asses the applicant's motivation, communication and teamwork skills, compassion and empathy, professionalism, integrity and ethics, maturity, experience with a veterinarian in your desired area of interest, and knowledge of the profession. Dress accordingly, go through your application (VMCAS and Supplemental) because questions can be formed from those.

One question she was using as an example was something like this:
You have a client that is very on edge and a mistake with medication occurs in your practice, you know the accidental overdose will cause no harm to Fluffy and it will cause Ms. Jackson to get very upset, do you tell the owner or let it go?
She went in to say that even though many of us want to say yes to this question in reality we are not going to tell the owner in every situation. I have seen and done this many times, which is sad, but mistakes happen and that's the truth. If you give a dog a double dose of Pyrantel or Pro-heart it wont hurt them. Obviously learning from these incidents are vital for your practice, so figure out what went wrong and change it. I've seen a 1st year doctor give Antipamezole/Ansedan IV to a immobilized pet which is WRONG and he tried to argue with us that that's how he was taught in school even though the vial clearly states to give it IM. Did he tell the owner? No, he was also very prideful, but the dog ended up being okay. I think when something happens like this it is our obligation to call the company who manufactures it to see what repercussions can occur and if it is bad then yes absolutely tell the owner.
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Thank you so much for your help! I hope that you get more of a chance next year since it sounds like you have so much great experience. I am really hoping that my personal/clinical experience with many of these similar scenarios will be able to help me in the interview, but I am nervous about having to explain some less than ideal grades to the interview committee.
 
Does anyone know when OOS should hear back? Two years ago they heard back before Thanksgiving and last year they heard Dec 3rd.
 
WonderingStudent said:
Do they send interview invites/rejections in waves or no?
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I'm pretty sure they send rejections via snail mail (or did last year) so those might come a bit later depending on when you live. The website does seem to imply the invites will come in waves.
 
"2016 ADMISSIONS SUMMARY
Number of Applicants / Entrants
Washington 151 / 51
Idaho 29 / 12
Montana 20 / 10
Utah 41 / 22
WICHE states 160 / 23 (18 WICHE sponsored)
Nonresident 887 / 14" Ouch 🙁
 

Posted a link for the class of 2023 stats.

Number of Applicants/Admitted/Entrants
Washintgton 169/66/55
Idaho 34/12/11
Montana 25/12/11
Utah 63/23/19
WICHE states 148/45/24 (15 WICHE sponsored)
Nonresident 1002/52/15

Still very tough odds for OOS, but they did make 52 offers last year for the 15 seats.
 
Just a reminder we have oss seats at Pullman and Utah. Pullman oss are the only ones that can change residency. So they tend to go through quite a few offers some years if they arent filling particularly Utah oss seats.
 
MixedAnimals77 said:
Just a reminder we have oss seats at Pullman and Utah. Pullman oss are the only ones that can change residency. So they tend to go through quite a few offers some years if they arent filling particularly Utah oss seats.
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How do you know if you are selected for Utah as an oos? Do you interview for all oos seats or are you interviewing for a specific campus?
 
I wish that all schools had more specific stats. Like number of applicants means everyone who applied but how many of those people were below the GPA requirement or didn’t have the right requirements? I feel like that is a better number to know (the number of applicants that met the basic prerequisite). Then how many they actually interview.
 
MooCow1137 said:
How do you know if you are selected for Utah as an oos? Do you interview for all oos seats or are you interviewing for a specific campus?
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They evaluate all OOS then send out interview invites. Right before you go into your interview they do a confidentially statement and ask what campuses youd like to be considered for Pullman only, logan only or both. So your answer basically has no effect on your interview itself. Only after in evaluation if you're not interested in one of the campuses then your app isnt considered for that campus for offers
 
MooCow1137 said:
I was hoping so too! I have been checking SDN a little too often to see if anyone has heard anything. Has anyone asked or has any insight on when notifications go out?
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I called last week to ask and they told me sometime in the first two weeks of December.
 
Someone on the APVMA page posted a screenshot of the timeline for Washington State. It looks like we will hear back in late December. 😳
 
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