WCVM 2014 Applicants

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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Hey guys! How you doing?
Ruku, I didn't heard back from Elaine yet, so I guess the BC interviews aren't beginning yet. I think they'll call around May.
I've been picking stones, putting hay out, feeding calves, riding tractors, delivering seeds with the gator, playing with kittens and gardening at my friend's farm. I had SO much! Picking stones is exactly what it sounds like: picking stones. Somehow, in Ontario, there's tonnes of rocks and stones on fields that have to be removed or else they'll damage machinery, so we literally have to bend down and pick up stones from 200 acres of field.
Anyway, this summer I'm working at a small animal clinic, and volunteering at a therapeutic riding centre. I might also volunteer at an indoor doggy pool, depending on my work schedule.
I hate to say this, but I'd be just as happy if I didn't get in WCVM this year, because I'd love to go back to Guelph for my 3rd year, since courses are starting to get interesting and I miss my friends! But, of course, if I get accepted I won't hesitate to attend!
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I don't know how well I did on my interview, so I'm not sure how much my advice will help. I tried to go through every sample vet interview question I could find online, and they asked a lot of those. I had heard in the past that they concentrated a lot on current events, but they only briefly mentioned current events to me. They also asked questions about large veterinary/animal organizations. Some of the questions they come up with on the spot depending on what you've told them about your personal life. I tried to be myself, and made them laugh a few times. Other than that, I'm not sure what else I can say until I know how well I did on the interview.
 
do you mind my asking what you wore for your interview?
 
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Hello from my rainy niche in BC! At least it helps the plants and the low water supply... right? :s

silymnd, sounds like your doing the same type of work on your friend's farm as Im doing at the ranch! I spent 4 hours the other day grooming the arena and picking rocks... still have so much more to do still. In my experience with farming and ranching, a lot of the work is just that.... picking rocks. Gives you lots of time to think though... haha Would hate to have to do it on 200 acres. Only the arena for me! Sounds like you have a good summer lined up. Ive always wanted to volunteer at a therapeutic riding center but have never had the opportunity to do so. Must be sure to tell us how it goes! Well I hope you end up in the WCVM with the rest of us... oh yea, we are all getting in. :)

That helps Braki! Glad to hear you made them laugh! Thats always a good thing so Im sure you did well. I have also heard they ask about current events and large animal stuff during the interview so Im glad you confirmed that. What kind of large animal organizations did they ask about? Like factory farming? How long were you in the interview for?

Ugh... Its only 3 more days until May and then the agony of waiting for the phone call really sets in. I dont know what Ill do if I dont even get an interview offer.... Keep your fingers crossed for me guys!

I am also curious about what you wore to the interview and/or what other people were wearing. Dont know why that part is so important but it is... :)
 
Eterynix said:
Hi, just wondering, silymnd, you said you go to the University of Guelph? How is it there? And how can you still apply for the WCVM if you're in Guelph - is it because you graduated from Alberta and you're still eligible for Westcoast residency?

Also what do you guys think about doing undergrad in UBC as opposed to SFU or other places in BC?
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I guess you posted this ages ago Eterynix, but in case you happen to look at this thread again, I just wanted to say that I did my undergrad at UBC so let me know if you have any questions! For one thing, I can tell you that I LOVED it! I did my degree in Nutritional Science (in Land and Food Systems) and am graduating this year and it was amazing - the courses were really interesting, the profs were super nice and encouraging, it was really easy to network and get all kinds of random animal related jobs and the students in the faculty were super incredible. I almost didn't go to UBC because they didn't give me much of an entrance scholarship after high school, but LFS actually gives out plenty of scholarships once you are in. If you end up with good grades in first year and do some leadership stuff, you'll likely get a ton of scholarship money from the faculty!
 
I wore a suit for the interview. I bought one for my interview at the University of Calgary, and for their MMI interviews, most people were wearing suits. The interview's supposed to last 50 minutes, but mine went over by 10 minutes.

Sorry, by large animal organizations I didn't mean organizations about large animals, I meant... large organizations about animals. I was worried that they'd ask about all these obscure organizations, but they only asked about the really major ones that most people would know anyway They actually only asked me one question about large animals.

P.S. Thanks, Lioness. Congratulations on your acceptance; I wish we heard back that early.
 
I just got an email from Elaine today reminding me about transcripts. I'm wearing a suit + white shirt with ruffles....
 
Have you gotten all your course marks yet? I haven't gotten an email from Elaine, but I only have the grades from 2 courses so far anyway.
 
I only have 3 of my marks back...but I too got an e-mail from Elaine today. She said to send in my marks as soon as I have them.
 
Yeah i got all my marks already. my gpa dropped 2 percent.......
first day of work today at an animal clinic (where i volunteered for 4 months last summer, but this time i actually get paid!)! in my scrubs already woot!
 
Congrats silymnd! Hope your first day back was delightful.

Thanks Braki. That helps! I was a little confused about the large animal organizations thing... I thought that would be a very specific question and got worried for a sec. Oh and 50 minutes to one hour is nice and short. That pleases me :)

Getting nervous as Ive heard nothing back from Elaine for a while... :( Mind you, my marks were all sent on my transcript as Im not currently in school but still discouraging. Doubt is starting to set in.... Grrr just want to know already one way or another so I can stop the agony of WAITING! :(
 
I had a dream last night that my applications were rejected. :( No waitlist, either. Although really, I had only heard from the UofC (via email), because I had to go out to some ranch to find out my application status for the WCVM. I think that's my brain's way of saying that WCVM should move to email/online applications instead of mailing everything.
 
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Hey everyone =) Just wanted to say good luck to all of you!!
I'm still brooding over choosing Guelph or UBC for my undergrad in Science. But yay, my AP calculus test is OVER!
 
I hear ya Braki! I was shocked they didnt have the online applications yet. Waiting on snail mail is a bummer. I keep having the WAKING dream that Im not accepted.... ugh. haha

Thanks Eterynix and way to go on finishing calc!
 
I got a call from Elaine today. BC interviews take place May 31st to June 5th at the BCVMA office in North Vancouver for $150. Mine is on May 4th (Friday) at 1:30pm. They will send a snail mail with information regarding the interview after the date and time is arranged.
 
That is very similar to their protocol for Alberta. They held interviews in the ABVMA office, but it only cost $110 for us.
 
It costs money for the interviewers to fly here to interview us. We have a choice of having a free interview in Sask but we have to pay for our own travel expenses, which would definitely be more than $150.
 
I still haven't heard back from Elaine but I know they have not yet got official transcripts from my school yet. I am guessing that if I were to interview I would have either heard last week or this coming week, so I guess I'll probably be waiting until next year.
 
Got the call yesterday!! June 3rd at 2:30 in Vancouver! :)

Boy was I getting nervous.... Now time to prep.

Hang in there groff00, they are still phoning.
 
Braki said:
I wore a suit for the interview. I bought one for my interview at the University of Calgary, and for their MMI interviews, most people were wearing suits. The interview's supposed to last 50 minutes, but mine went over by 10 minutes.

Sorry, by large animal organizations I didn't mean organizations about large animals, I meant... large organizations about animals. I was worried that they'd ask about all these obscure organizations, but they only asked about the really major ones that most people would know anyway They actually only asked me one question about large animals.

P.S. Thanks, Lioness. Congratulations on your acceptance; I wish we heard back that early.
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I may be out to lunch but what are you refering to when you say large organizations about animals?
 
Don't worry about it. I shouldn't really give too much away, but they asked me about some veterinary organizations that were prominent in my area and that you would probably know. They also asked about my opinion on certain (very large) animal organizations that no one should really have any trouble recognizing. It is a minor part of the interview and it probably won't give anyone much trouble at all.
 
Wow - for those who have had your interviews, good job! I hope you guys get into the DVM =)

On a side note - sillymd - I accepted UBC's Bachelor of Science Program. I will probably be going there next year. If I really end up hating it, I'm going to transfer to Guelph. <3
 
I was just wondering how many years took you guys to finish pre-veterinary. :)
 
I'm not sure about other schools, but at the University of Calgary it takes 3 years. WCVM requires a second biochemistry course, which is offered at the UofC in the first semester of your third year. It's probably different with other schools.
 
Do you guys mind if I ask...
how you guys scheduled your courses?:)
 
For the UofC, most of the scheduling was done for you if you took a look in the course calendar.

http://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/sc-5-1-1.html

If you scroll down a bit, there's a table outlining the courses to take. If you're applying for WCVM, then you should take the Physics courses in the first year.

Regarding the full course load bit: in order to get a shot at being accepted, you need to do a full course load. When the dean of admissions came to give a talk at my university, he mentioned that what was even more important than overall GPA was the best GPA for a year where you took a full course load, and that students without a year taking a full course load shouldn't even bother applying. They emphasize this because vet school is very hard, and they don't believe that a student can get through it if they can't at least take a full course load in their undergrad.
 
Braki said:
For the UofC, most of the scheduling was done for you if you took a look in the course calendar.

http://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/sc-5-1-1.html

If you scroll down a bit, there's a table outlining the courses to take. If you're applying for WCVM, then you should take the Physics courses in the first year.

Regarding the full course load bit: in order to get a shot at being accepted, you need to do a full course load. When the dean of admissions came to give a talk at my university, he mentioned that what was even more important than overall GPA was the best GPA for a year where you took a full course load, and that students without a year taking a full course load shouldn't even bother applying. They emphasize this because vet school is very hard, and they don't believe that a student can get through it if they can't at least take a full course load in their undergrad.
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Thank you Brakie!:)
That was very helpful !

So I guess I should go for a full course load..
 
I think full course loads are a MUST for any vet school. It's not fair for the admissions committee to compare grades when some applicants only have 4 courses to worry about while others have 5.
 
I think so too, but UCVM only requires 4 courses/semester for a year instead of 5. The school emphasizes grades a lot less than the other vet schools do (they have a student who was admitted with a 2.95), and so far, apparently everyone's been able to keep a 3.0 to get their yearly scholarship, but I also heard that people with lower grades have been really struggling to keep it up.
 
Ahhh... one week until interview time!!! Weirdly, I dont feel too nervous yet. How about you silymnd? Getting nervous yet?

How long do you think they will take to send out offers? It must be fairly soon as there are plans people have to make to move. Im hoping by end of June we will know one way or another....
 
no im not nervous at all! just need to hem my new dress pants. i'll actually sit down to prepare for questions this weekend.
i think letters will be received before july, or very early july.
today i started training to do front office stuff at work. it's quite different from stuff at the back, and i'm glad i'm being exposed to both aspects of clinic life.
good luck to everybody!
 
Glad to hear that you dont have any nerves yet. Im going shopping this afternoon for a new suit... have some already but I want to look fresh! :) Plus it gives me something to do besides run through practice q's. haha I hope we find out before July.

Off to prep... Good Luck silymnd!! And everyone else who might be interviewing!!
 
When I applied we got our letters during the second last week of June. You may find out earlier than that this year (particularly if you're from Alberta) as I think the WCVM has tried to time their offers so they come out around the same time as the U of Calgary's now.

Good luck!
 
do they accept personal cheques or do i have to get certified cheques or money orders from the bank? thanks
 
I gave them a personal cheque and it was fine.
 
gd luck on ur interview tmr Ruka =)) thanks for the info Braki.
 
just wondering, does anyone know a good place to find practice questions? and also is a suit mandatory or is it ok as long as you dont look like a mess?
 
I just searched "vet interview questions" on Google. Most of the questions that they use are pretty similar to what you'd find.

As for the suit, I wore one, and I think most people generally wear a suit or at least a nice blouse and dress pants. That said, last year one of my friends saw a girl show up for an interview at UCVM wearing a fairly casual shirt and jeans, and she ended up getting accepted. Wearing casual clothing might get you off to a bad start, but who knows what the interviewers think. If you end up wowing them, you'll get in either way.

By the way, how'd your interview go, Ruka? I hope it went well!
 
hey guys! i think my interview went fine. of course now that i think about it theres a couple of things i should have said that i forgot to mention. oh well it's over now. i was quite stress-free, surprisingly. anyway good luck to everybody! can't wait to get the results.
 
Did they say when the results would be out?
 
Hey guys! Sorry for the delayed response but its been hectic here at the ranch.

Thanks for the luck silymnd! It helped :)

I wore a grey suit to the interview, not sure if that helps Meeka. I thought about a blouse and dress pants, but I felt more confident in the suit so I went with that. Think as long as what you wear makes you feel prepared, confident and comfortable, you will be fine.

So my interview went well.... I think... ya.... I think it did.... hahaha Ive been running it over and over in my head and I keep worrying that Im too confident with how well it went. I had they laughing during most of the interview and was pretty relaxed. They asked the normal questions (ones I found googleing) which I answered concisely and then asked a lot of probing questions... what Im doing at the ranch, what I did at this job and that vet clinic. It was nice because it showed me that they were interested in my experience. I did push a bit and told them more than I think they were asking for, but then that led to other questions. Overall I think it was good :) I was in there for a total of 68 minutes (went in early, out late) and they asked about 25-30 main questions. I answered with giving examples of my own experience mostly and like you silymnd, I thought of things after that I was thinking.... MAN WHY DID I FORGET TO SAY THAT?! haha Oh well

One thing one of the interviewers said caught me though. It was at the end of the interview and she said, "So if you dont get into vet school, which I think is unlikely, what will you do?" WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! I fumbled a bit answering the question after she said that.... did you guys have that question phrased the same way?? I was excited post interview but now Im hoping it wasnt just a comment she said lightly. :s

Results should arrive in the mail last week of June. :D

Glad your interview went well silymnd! How did yours go Meeka? Tell us more about yourself!! You are new to posting on this thread! :)
 
Ruka, I think that means you are definitely getting in come late June. ;) That is a huge compliment, especially coming near the end of the interview. I have a huge, sinking feeling that I'm not getting in this year, despite my friends telling me otherwise, but what else are friends for?

I hope last week of June means the 21-25, not the 28-July 2. I got a call from Elaine today saying my transcript is missing my degree and that I should resend it so she has it for their meeting next week. I was not expecting a call and was thinking of all these terrible worst case scenarios, haha.
 
ya, pretty new to a lot of this experience! well my interview is tomorrow and thank you all for your input! i cant believe how helpful this has been. kinda nervous and feeling slightly unprepared but what can you do but answer their questions honestly right? .... eek!

good luck guys!
 
the more i think about it, the less confident i am about it. but it's aiight.... i wasn't expecting to get accepted after my first try. it's just difficult to deal with when everybody around me (family, friends, colleagues) are saying, "Don't worry, you'll get in!" i'm scared to let them down more than myself. bugger....
 
Braki, thanks for the positivity! Im still uncertain. :s Nothing like being over confident and having a crushing fall if not accepted... But until the moment of truth, Ill stay positive :) Hope it is sooner than later when we find out. Does anyone know if they send all the invites out at the same time? For all the provinces I mean?

Hope your interview went well today Meeka! Are you a BC resident or somewhere else? Let us know how it went!! :)

I know what you mean silymnd. Best not to think on it too much then right? haha I wouldnt worry about letting people down. They only want to be supportive and will give you encouragement for next application cycle if need be.
 
I think there might be slight time difference between provinces. I just spoke to one of my friends here who had her interview last week, and was told they would aim for June 14 for people to receive their results, and that they would try hard to stick to that date. Another friend called UCVM and heard that they results should be received sometime this week or next week, and the results between the two schools usually comes about a week apart or the same week.

I am so nervous!
 
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