WCVM/UCVM C/O 2021

[Sally and Z]

So... what did everyone think of the interview (without details of course since we signed the confidentiality agreement)!

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[vetplease2020]

So... what did everyone think of the interview (without details of course since we signed the confidentiality agreement)!

i found the interview much less stressful than last year, which was nice. definitely some harder stations than others! however, the more time i have to think about how i did, the more critical i am of the answers i gave. i found the essay topic sort of challenging!

how did it go for you?

ps. kudos to all the first years helping out, you guys were great!

 

[awesomenessity]

ps. kudos to all the first years helping out, you guys were great!

it was great meeting you all! If you were in the afternoon session you may have collected your phone from @SARdoghandler and I

 

[Sally and Z]

i found the interview much less stressful than last year, which was nice. definitely some harder stations than others! however, the more time i have to think about how i did, the more critical i am of the answers i gave. i found the essay topic sort of challenging!

how did it go for you?

ps. kudos to all the first years helping out, you guys were great!

I didn't interview there last year so no comparison for me to make. Most stations I think were somewhere between reasonable and good, others (one in particular!) I am not too happy with my response on.

It is so hard to have any guess about how you did, we will have to just wait a few months and then we will know how it went! Of course we can obsess over our answers in our spare time while we wait...

 

[Sally and Z]

it was great meeting you all! If you were in the afternoon session you may have collected your phone from @SARdoghandler and I

Pretty sure I saw you two (in the morning session)!

 

[vetplease2020]

I didn't interview there last year so no comparison for me to make. Most stations I think were somewhere between reasonable and good, others (one in particular!) I am not too happy with my response on.

It is so hard to have any guess about how you did, we will have to just wait a few months and then we will know how it went! Of course we can obsess over our answers in our spare time while we wait...

don't you wish there was a fast forward button? i know i do! hopefully all of us who applied hear something from WCVM by the end of the month, and maybe that'll help keep us distracted!

 

[awesomenessity]

It is so hard to have any guess about how you did, we will have to just wait a few months and then we will know how it went! Of course we can obsess over our answers in our spare time while we wait...

I was still obsessing about stupid things I said in the MMI until like... November. So 6 months after getting accepted, and 10 months after the interview So don't worry if you're doing that!

Pretty sure I saw you two (in the morning session)!

Probably! We were at Dr. Read's talk standing in the front, and helping direct traffic during registration among other things

 

[Squishes]

i found the interview much less stressful than last year, which was nice. definitely some harder stations than others! however, the more time i have to think about how i did, the more critical i am of the answers i gave. i found the essay topic sort of challenging!

how did it go for you?

ps. kudos to all the first years helping out, you guys were great!

I agree! Much less stressful than last year and the essay topic was... odd I'm also going over everything in my head over and over again!

And yes shout out to @awesomenessity and @SARdoghandler! You guys went out of your way to help us out, thank you!

 

[Sally and Z]

don't you wish there was a fast forward button? i know i do! hopefully all of us who applied hear something from WCVM by the end of the month, and maybe that'll help keep us distracted!

I'll more likely be second round for WCVM (if I get an interview at all) so no news for a while for me I imagine!

 

[Sally and Z]

@vetplease2020 and @Squishes - Did you guys find it less stressful because of having done the MMI before or the actual scenarios were less stressful/easier?

 

[peach312]

I'm glad to hear the MMIs went well for everyone! I also felt that they went much better than last years and I had a lot more fun with them this time around

In terms of hearing back from WCVM I really don't know what to expect.

 

[SARdoghandler]

Pretty sure I saw you two (in the morning session)!

Also we were the ones moving the line around in the morning (that was empowering for me, leading all the interviewees in a giant game of sheep haha) and ensuring everyone knew to line up by their last name


I'm so glad it seems like it went well for everyone! Cheering for ya!

 

[Squishes]

@vetplease2020 and @Squishes - Did you guys find it less stressful because of having done the MMI before or the actual scenarios were less stressful/easier?

I thought the scenarios were on par with last years in terms of difficulty! They touched on the same concepts just through different scenarios/questions. I think I was more calm because I knew what to expect Still finding it hard to gauge how I did though!

 

[vetplease2020]

I thought the scenarios were on par with last years in terms of difficulty! They touched on the same concepts just through different scenarios/questions. I think I was more calm because I knew what to expect Still finding it hard to gauge how I did though!

literally took the words right out of my mouth! glad i'm not alone!

also i was also super surprised that they kept one of the probing questions the same as last year (those of you know interviewed last year probably know what i mean). noooo idea what they expected as an answer to that one even though i had answered it before, in a different context.

 

[Squishes]

literally took the words right out of my mouth! glad i'm not alone!

also i was also super surprised that they kept one of the probing questions the same as last year (those of you know interviewed last year probably know what i mean). noooo idea what they expected as an answer to that one even though i had answered it before, in a different context.

I think I know which one you're talking about!! That's one of the probing questions I can't stop thinking about, wish I'd elaborated more The next few months may be the death of me!

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Glad to hear interviews went better for you guys this year around! I'm sure everyone did great.

Now, any bets on when WCVM interviews will come out this year? Last year they were super late iirc.

 

[CarinaBee]

Glad to hear interviews went better for you guys this year around! I'm sure everyone did great.

Now, any bets on when WCVM interviews will come out this year? Last year they were super late iirc.

It says in our WCVM login that "Offers will be sent by email late March and mid May"

 

[Flashthesloth]

hello everyone

I am thinking if a vet wrote "recommend with reservation" on her reference, will I lose a chance to get the interview? I believe my professor (also my employer) will highly recommend the WCVM admission to consider me, as to the vet, I really didn't have much time to have interaction with her. I guess vet experience is my weakest part.

 

[DMatt94]

Good luck in the coming week or two to all WCVM interview hopefuls! I hope everyone gets the news they are hoping for!

hello everyone

I am thinking if a vet wrote "recommend with reservation" on her reference, will I lose a chance to get the interview? I believe my professor (also my employer) will highly recommend the WCVM admission to consider me, as to the vet, I really didn't have much time to have interaction with her. I guess vet experience is my weakest part.

I would imagine that the vet would not use a "recommend with reservation" based solely on amount of time together, unless there was an area of particular concern. I'm sure you are fine, she may indicate that you had little time for interactions, but I wouldn't think she would give that level of recommendation solely on that. If you know for sure that she gave that recommendation, however, then I am not really sure how that will impact the overall application.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

hello everyone

I am thinking if a vet wrote "recommend with reservation" on her reference, will I lose a chance to get the interview? I believe my professor (also my employer) will highly recommend the WCVM admission to consider me, as to the vet, I really didn't have much time to have interaction with her. I guess vet experience is my weakest part.

The WCVM reference form has a bubble to fill in in regards to how many hours you have worked with the applicant, iirc, so any lack of time would be shown there. I would assume "with reservation" would only be if she had some distinct issue.

With your stats, and being from Sask with those stats, I would be VERY surprised if you didn't get at least an interview. Just make sure you do lots of research about all areas of vet med so that you can show that despite not having the experience, you still have the knowledge of the profession.

 

[SunnyAntia]

Hey guys,

I'm a second year veterinary student at WCVM. I know I found this forum extremely helpful when I was going through the interview process, and since its coming around to that time of the year when WCVM starts sending out interview offers I thought i'd chime in and offer my well wishes!

I interviewed at both WCVM and UCVM, so any questions about the interview or WCVM in general i'd be happy to answer.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[CarinaBee]

First round WCVM interview letters are out!!

 

[Sally and Z]

First round WCVM interview letters are out!!

I got one too!

 

[ABgirl1990]

Woop! That's awesome! When are your interviews?

 

[Sally and Z]

Woop! That's awesome! When are your interviews?

We have to choose to do it in Saskatoon or Alberta so there is a range of days for each but early May.

 

[peach312]

I got an interview as well! Congrats everyone!!

 

[vetplease2020]

congrats everyone on your first round interview! crossing my fingers i will get a second round!

just curious, were your invites emailed to you?

 

[peach312]

congrats everyone on your first round interview! crossing my fingers i will get a second round!

just curious, were your invites emailed to you?

Yes, I received my offer by email early in the afternoon today.

I have my fingers crossed for you!

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Congratulations!!!!

A bunch of 1st rounders this year.

 

[StanTheMan7]

Hey everyone! I have viewed this forum for awhile now but this is my first time posting as I found out today that I didn't receive a first round WCVM interview invitation and am looking for some advice/guidance at this point. Any tips or advice anybody could provide would be greatly appreciated!

First off, I'll provide a little bit of information about my application history. This is my fourth time applying to the WCVM. The first time I applied I was still an AB resident and knew I didn't have the best chance, but just wanted to go through the process. The second time I applied I was still an AB resident and had just graduated with my 4-year BSc in Animal Bioscience, so I thought I had a better chance but I still didn't receive an interview. The third time I applied was after I had taken a year off and worked full time as an Animal Protection Officer for the Saskatoon SPCA. This allowed me to establish SK residency. I also went back to school for a 5th year to upgrade my marks. This time I received an interview, but was still denied admission as my application was ranked 29th.

After this third application, I sat down with Heather Mandeville and Dr. Chris Clark to go over my application and determine the best plan for me moving forward. They informed me that my grades were competitive enough in the SK pool (84.1% admission average, ranked 26th academically) to obtain an interview and that I should therefore focus on gaining more diverse experience in order to improve the interview portion of my application.

I have therefore made this my focus for the past year. I have been working two jobs since the summer of 2016. One position is part time as a Shelter Assistant for the City of Calgary Animal Shelter and the other is full time as an Animal Husbandry Technician for the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. I have also been volunteering with various veterinarians over the past year. I have volunteered at Burwash Equine Services from September 2016-December 2016 and at Strathmore Veterinary Services from February 2017-Present. In addition to this, I spent an entire month in January/February interning full time with World Vets in Granada, Nicaragua. On top of this, I have also been doing other community volunteer work with the Mustard Seed, Salvation Army, KidsSport/YouCanPlay, etc... and have also been attending toastmasters classes to prepare for my interview.

So basically I have been working real hard over the past year to prepare myself for an interview only to find out today that I didn't receive a first round invitation. I therefore have a few questions about the process:

1) My understanding is that the WCVM uses the first round of interviews to invite students they know meet the grade cut offs, and then they wait to receive second semester marks before determining who to send the second round of interview invitations too. Is this correct? If so, what does this mean for applicants who aren't currently in school (such as myself)? Seeing as I'm not currently enrolled in school (and don't have any other grades left to come in) does this mean I have no hope for a second round invitation? Or is it possible that they only send first round interview invitations to applicants enrolled in school?

2) Last year I received a first round interview invitation and seeing as I have not been in school since then, my grades will not have changed. Is it therefore really possible for me to go from a first round interview (last year) to no interview at all (this year) with the same marks? Does the applicant pool change by THAT much each year? My admissions average is 84.1 and I was ranked 26th in the SK pool before the interviews last year, so I am just finding it really hard to fathom that I dropped completely out of consideration.

These are really the only two direct questions I have, and I don't even know if anyone will have any answers to them, but I figured I'd ask anyways.

I was also just kind of looking for some general advice.... It's been my dream to become a veterinarian ever since I can remember and it's really the one thing I have been working towards for the past 5-6 years now. I keep wondering if this is ever going to happen or if maybe it's just not meant to be and I should stop wasting my time. Has anyone else here had a similar experience? I'm almost at the point where I feel like I am just wasting time and money and that I should change my career goals, but its been my dream for so long that its hard to give up... I don't know. If anyone can share their story, maybe that would help.

Sorry for the long post! And congrats to everyone that got an interview, lucky buggers

 

[Sally and Z]

Hey everyone! I have viewed this forum for awhile now but this is my first time posting as I found out today that I didn't receive a first round WCVM interview invitation and am kind of desperate for some advice/guidance at this point. Any tips or advice anybody could provide would be greatly appreciated!

First off, I'll provide a little bit of information about my application history. This year is my fourth year applying to the WCVM. The first time I applied I was still an AB resident and knew I didn't have a chance, but just wanted to go through the process. The second time I applied I was still an AB resident and had just graduated with my 4-year BSc in Animal Bioscience, so I thought I had a chance but alas I still didn't receive an interview. The third time I applied was after I had taken a year off and worked full time as an Animal Protection Officer for the Saskatoon SPCA. This allowed me to establish SK residency. I also went back to school for a 5th year to upgrade my marks. This time I received an interview, but was still denied admission as my application was ranked 29th.

After this third application, I sat down with Heather Mandeville and Dr. Chris Clark to go over my application and determine the best plan for me moving forward. They informed me that my grades were competitive enough in the SK pool (84.1% admission average, ranked 26th academically) to obtain an interview and that I should therefore focus on gaining more diverse experience in order to improve the interview portion of my application.

I have therefore made this my SOLE focus for the past year. I have been working two jobs since the summer of 2016. One position is part time as a Shelter Assistant for the City of Calgary Animal Shelter and the other is full time as an Animal Husbandry Technician for the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. I have also been volunteering with various veterinarians over the past year. I have volunteered at Burwash Equine Services from September 2016-December 2016 and at Strathmore Veterinary Services from February 2017-Present. In addition to this, I spent an entire month in January/February interning full time with World Vets in Granada, Nicaragua. On top of this, I have also been doing other community volunteer work with the Mustard Seed, Salvation Army, KidsSport/YouCanPlay, etc... and have also been attending toastmasters classes to prepare for my interview.

SOOOOOO basically I have been working really really hard over the past year to prepare myself for an interview (as advised by Dr. Clark and Heather) only to find out today that I didn't receive a first round invitation. I am pretty upset by this (to say the least) but I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can clarify some things.

1) My understanding is that the WCVM uses the first round of interviews to invite students they know meet the grade cut offs, and then they wait to receive second semester marks before determining who to send the second round of interview invitations too. Is this correct? If so, what does this mean for applicants who aren't currently in school (such as myself)? Seeing as I'm not currently enrolled in school (and don't have any other grades left to come in) does this mean I have no hope for a second round invitation? Or is it possible that they only send first round interview invitations to applicants enrolled in school?

2) Last year I received a first round interview invitation and seeing as I have not been in school since then, my grades will not have changed. Is it therefore really possible for me to go from a first round interview (last year) to no interview at all (this year) with the same marks? Does the applicant pool change by THAT much each year? My admissions average is 84.1 and I was ranked 26th in the SK pool before the interviews last year, so I am just finding it really hard to fathom that I dropped completely out of consideration.

These are really the only two direct questions I have, and I don't even know if anyone will have any answers to them, but I figured I'd ask anyways.

I was also just kind of looking for some general advice.... It's been my dream and goal to go to veterinary school ever since I can remember and it's literally the ONE thing I have been working towards for the past 5-6 years now. But after putting so much time, energy, dedication and devotion into ONE thing only to come up short time and time again... it just really weighs on a person I guess. I keep wondering if this is ever going to happen or if maybe I just don't have what it takes and should give up.... Has anyone else here had a similar experience? I'm almost at the point where I feel like I am just wasting time and money and that I should change my career goals, but its been my dream for so long that its hard to give up... I don't know. If anyone can share their story, maybe that would help.

Sorry for the long post! And congrats to everyone that got an interview, lucky buggers

It is definitely not a fun process and one that feels like you have no control over it so not fun. The GPA for both schools goes up every year somehow so it's hard to keep track of (or understand how it's happening!)

I will give my thoughts on the second round question. Anyone who knows better than me, feel free to jump in!

I think 2nd round can be people who's current marks need to get in there before they are competitive (and they are in school obviously) but I don't think that's necessary. I think they cut off at a certain number (GPA) as they go down the list of applicants and those are first rounds and then for second rounds they add in the new grades for anyone who has them and go down the list again with all current grades for all remaining applicants. So it can be people with new higher grades or else just people below the first round point.

That is sort of partially my own imagined idea but I think it's something along those lines and I don't think second round is out of the question for you if that's right!

Are you still a saskatchewan resident after living in Calgary? Or were you applying as an Alberta resident now?

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Hey everyone! I have viewed this forum for awhile now but this is my first time posting as I found out today that I didn't receive a first round WCVM interview invitation and am kind of desperate for some advice/guidance at this point. Any tips or advice anybody could provide would be greatly appreciated!

First off, I'll provide a little bit of information about my application history. This year is my fourth year applying to the WCVM. The first time I applied I was still an AB resident and knew I didn't have a chance, but just wanted to go through the process. The second time I applied I was still an AB resident and had just graduated with my 4-year BSc in Animal Bioscience, so I thought I had a chance but alas I still didn't receive an interview. The third time I applied was after I had taken a year off and worked full time as an Animal Protection Officer for the Saskatoon SPCA. This allowed me to establish SK residency. I also went back to school for a 5th year to upgrade my marks. This time I received an interview, but was still denied admission as my application was ranked 29th.

After this third application, I sat down with Heather Mandeville and Dr. Chris Clark to go over my application and determine the best plan for me moving forward. They informed me that my grades were competitive enough in the SK pool (84.1% admission average, ranked 26th academically) to obtain an interview and that I should therefore focus on gaining more diverse experience in order to improve the interview portion of my application.

I have therefore made this my SOLE focus for the past year. I have been working two jobs since the summer of 2016. One position is part time as a Shelter Assistant for the City of Calgary Animal Shelter and the other is full time as an Animal Husbandry Technician for the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. I have also been volunteering with various veterinarians over the past year. I have volunteered at Burwash Equine Services from September 2016-December 2016 and at Strathmore Veterinary Services from February 2017-Present. In addition to this, I spent an entire month in January/February interning full time with World Vets in Granada, Nicaragua. On top of this, I have also been doing other community volunteer work with the Mustard Seed, Salvation Army, KidsSport/YouCanPlay, etc... and have also been attending toastmasters classes to prepare for my interview.

SOOOOOO basically I have been working really really hard over the past year to prepare myself for an interview (as advised by Dr. Clark and Heather) only to find out today that I didn't receive a first round invitation. I am pretty upset by this (to say the least) but I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can clarify some things.

1) My understanding is that the WCVM uses the first round of interviews to invite students they know meet the grade cut offs, and then they wait to receive second semester marks before determining who to send the second round of interview invitations too. Is this correct? If so, what does this mean for applicants who aren't currently in school (such as myself)? Seeing as I'm not currently enrolled in school (and don't have any other grades left to come in) does this mean I have no hope for a second round invitation? Or is it possible that they only send first round interview invitations to applicants enrolled in school?

2) Last year I received a first round interview invitation and seeing as I have not been in school since then, my grades will not have changed. Is it therefore really possible for me to go from a first round interview (last year) to no interview at all (this year) with the same marks? Does the applicant pool change by THAT much each year? My admissions average is 84.1 and I was ranked 26th in the SK pool before the interviews last year, so I am just finding it really hard to fathom that I dropped completely out of consideration.

These are really the only two direct questions I have, and I don't even know if anyone will have any answers to them, but I figured I'd ask anyways.

I was also just kind of looking for some general advice.... It's been my dream and goal to go to veterinary school ever since I can remember and it's literally the ONE thing I have been working towards for the past 5-6 years now. But after putting so much time, energy, dedication and devotion into ONE thing only to come up short time and time again... it just really weighs on a person I guess. I keep wondering if this is ever going to happen or if maybe I just don't have what it takes and should give up.... Has anyone else here had a similar experience? I'm almost at the point where I feel like I am just wasting time and money and that I should change my career goals, but its been my dream for so long that its hard to give up... I don't know. If anyone can share their story, maybe that would help.

Sorry for the long post! And congrats to everyone that got an interview, lucky buggers

You sound like you have done everything right, good job on all the work this year!

1) They simply rank the grades of all the applicants and the top 20 get interviews. For second round (after they get semester 2 grades back) they do the exact same thing (rank) and the top 20 get a 2nd round interview. Whether or not you are in school has nothing to do with it. Simply grades and rank. You still have a VERY good shot for second round invite, particularly since the Sask averages are lower than Alberta and BC.

2) It all depends on the grades of the other applicants, so although theoretically it is possible it is very unlikely. Seriously, I would be very surprised if you don't get a 2nd round. If you do get a second round, you have a very competitive supplemental application. Just make sure to prep for your interview and you could very well get admission! You are far from out of the running for this year.

You are competitive. Everyone had to decide at what point it is no longer worth it, but you certainly are in a good spot to get in this year or next year. Don't psych yourself out. LeilaFay, someone who used to be on this thread, applied 7 times and interviewed 3 or 4 times before getting in, and she is now a graduated veterinarian.

 

[SnowshoeDog143]

Hey everyone! I have viewed this forum for awhile now but this is my first time posting as I found out today that I didn't receive a first round WCVM interview invitation and am kind of desperate for some advice/guidance at this point. Any tips or advice anybody could provide would be greatly appreciated!

First off, I'll provide a little bit of information about my application history. This year is my fourth year applying to the WCVM. The first time I applied I was still an AB resident and knew I didn't have a chance, but just wanted to go through the process. The second time I applied I was still an AB resident and had just graduated with my 4-year BSc in Animal Bioscience, so I thought I had a chance but alas I still didn't receive an interview. The third time I applied was after I had taken a year off and worked full time as an Animal Protection Officer for the Saskatoon SPCA. This allowed me to establish SK residency. I also went back to school for a 5th year to upgrade my marks. This time I received an interview, but was still denied admission as my application was ranked 29th.

After this third application, I sat down with Heather Mandeville and Dr. Chris Clark to go over my application and determine the best plan for me moving forward. They informed me that my grades were competitive enough in the SK pool (84.1% admission average, ranked 26th academically) to obtain an interview and that I should therefore focus on gaining more diverse experience in order to improve the interview portion of my application.

I have therefore made this my SOLE focus for the past year. I have been working two jobs since the summer of 2016. One position is part time as a Shelter Assistant for the City of Calgary Animal Shelter and the other is full time as an Animal Husbandry Technician for the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. I have also been volunteering with various veterinarians over the past year. I have volunteered at Burwash Equine Services from September 2016-December 2016 and at Strathmore Veterinary Services from February 2017-Present. In addition to this, I spent an entire month in January/February interning full time with World Vets in Granada, Nicaragua. On top of this, I have also been doing other community volunteer work with the Mustard Seed, Salvation Army, KidsSport/YouCanPlay, etc... and have also been attending toastmasters classes to prepare for my interview.

SOOOOOO basically I have been working really really hard over the past year to prepare myself for an interview (as advised by Dr. Clark and Heather) only to find out today that I didn't receive a first round invitation. I am pretty upset by this (to say the least) but I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can clarify some things.

1) My understanding is that the WCVM uses the first round of interviews to invite students they know meet the grade cut offs, and then they wait to receive second semester marks before determining who to send the second round of interview invitations too. Is this correct? If so, what does this mean for applicants who aren't currently in school (such as myself)? Seeing as I'm not currently enrolled in school (and don't have any other grades left to come in) does this mean I have no hope for a second round invitation? Or is it possible that they only send first round interview invitations to applicants enrolled in school?

2) Last year I received a first round interview invitation and seeing as I have not been in school since then, my grades will not have changed. Is it therefore really possible for me to go from a first round interview (last year) to no interview at all (this year) with the same marks? Does the applicant pool change by THAT much each year? My admissions average is 84.1 and I was ranked 26th in the SK pool before the interviews last year, so I am just finding it really hard to fathom that I dropped completely out of consideration.

These are really the only two direct questions I have, and I don't even know if anyone will have any answers to them, but I figured I'd ask anyways.

I was also just kind of looking for some general advice.... It's been my dream and goal to go to veterinary school ever since I can remember and it's literally the ONE thing I have been working towards for the past 5-6 years now. But after putting so much time, energy, dedication and devotion into ONE thing only to come up short time and time again... it just really weighs on a person I guess. I keep wondering if this is ever going to happen or if maybe I just don't have what it takes and should give up.... Has anyone else here had a similar experience? I'm almost at the point where I feel like I am just wasting time and money and that I should change my career goals, but its been my dream for so long that its hard to give up... I don't know. If anyone can share their story, maybe that would help.

Sorry for the long post! And congrats to everyone that got an interview, lucky buggers

Hey welcome to SDN! I was definitely under the impression that interviews are given out based on grades. So the top 20 for first rounds are the top GPA applicants (with good references/experience of course). And the second round are the next top 20 GPA applicants, but this top 20 may change depending on some peoples grades after the spring semester. This means you still have a chance for 2nd round, it just means you weren't in the top 20 applicants this year. And there were a record number of applicants for SK from what I hear, so it's not too surprising. If you got a 1st round interview last year, you definitely have a good chance at a 2nd round interview this cycle. Good luck! (hopefully this made sense)

 

[SnowshoeDog143]

Just barely beat me to it @BeautifulBritishColumbia

(read BBCs post. I meant exactly what she said, she just englished it out better than me haha)

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Snowie, did you apply this year? Can't remember. If so, have you heard anything?

 

[SnowshoeDog143]

Snowie, did you apply this year? Can't remember. If so, have you heard anything?

I did, but not really expecting much. My gpa is just at the cutoff for the lowest interview percentage from last year. My last semester grades were better and I am working hard to get my gpa up this semester, so if I manage that I could snag a 2nd round interview! We will see.

 

[noodle3]

Hey everyone! I have viewed this forum for awhile now but this is my first time posting as I found out today that I didn't receive a first round WCVM interview invitation and am kind of desperate for some advice/guidance at this point. Any tips or advice anybody could provide would be greatly appreciated!

First off, I'll provide a little bit of information about my application history. This year is my fourth year applying to the WCVM. The first time I applied I was still an AB resident and knew I didn't have a chance, but just wanted to go through the process. The second time I applied I was still an AB resident and had just graduated with my 4-year BSc in Animal Bioscience, so I thought I had a chance but alas I still didn't receive an interview. The third time I applied was after I had taken a year off and worked full time as an Animal Protection Officer for the Saskatoon SPCA. This allowed me to establish SK residency. I also went back to school for a 5th year to upgrade my marks. This time I received an interview, but was still denied admission as my application was ranked 29th.

After this third application, I sat down with Heather Mandeville and Dr. Chris Clark to go over my application and determine the best plan for me moving forward. They informed me that my grades were competitive enough in the SK pool (84.1% admission average, ranked 26th academically) to obtain an interview and that I should therefore focus on gaining more diverse experience in order to improve the interview portion of my application.

I have therefore made this my SOLE focus for the past year. I have been working two jobs since the summer of 2016. One position is part time as a Shelter Assistant for the City of Calgary Animal Shelter and the other is full time as an Animal Husbandry Technician for the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. I have also been volunteering with various veterinarians over the past year. I have volunteered at Burwash Equine Services from September 2016-December 2016 and at Strathmore Veterinary Services from February 2017-Present. In addition to this, I spent an entire month in January/February interning full time with World Vets in Granada, Nicaragua. On top of this, I have also been doing other community volunteer work with the Mustard Seed, Salvation Army, KidsSport/YouCanPlay, etc... and have also been attending toastmasters classes to prepare for my interview.

SOOOOOO basically I have been working really really hard over the past year to prepare myself for an interview (as advised by Dr. Clark and Heather) only to find out today that I didn't receive a first round invitation. I am pretty upset by this (to say the least) but I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can clarify some things.

1) My understanding is that the WCVM uses the first round of interviews to invite students they know meet the grade cut offs, and then they wait to receive second semester marks before determining who to send the second round of interview invitations too. Is this correct? If so, what does this mean for applicants who aren't currently in school (such as myself)? Seeing as I'm not currently enrolled in school (and don't have any other grades left to come in) does this mean I have no hope for a second round invitation? Or is it possible that they only send first round interview invitations to applicants enrolled in school?

2) Last year I received a first round interview invitation and seeing as I have not been in school since then, my grades will not have changed. Is it therefore really possible for me to go from a first round interview (last year) to no interview at all (this year) with the same marks? Does the applicant pool change by THAT much each year? My admissions average is 84.1 and I was ranked 26th in the SK pool before the interviews last year, so I am just finding it really hard to fathom that I dropped completely out of consideration.

These are really the only two direct questions I have, and I don't even know if anyone will have any answers to them, but I figured I'd ask anyways.

I was also just kind of looking for some general advice.... It's been my dream and goal to go to veterinary school ever since I can remember and it's literally the ONE thing I have been working towards for the past 5-6 years now. But after putting so much time, energy, dedication and devotion into ONE thing only to come up short time and time again... it just really weighs on a person I guess. I keep wondering if this is ever going to happen or if maybe I just don't have what it takes and should give up.... Has anyone else here had a similar experience? I'm almost at the point where I feel like I am just wasting time and money and that I should change my career goals, but its been my dream for so long that its hard to give up... I don't know. If anyone can share their story, maybe that would help.

Sorry for the long post! And congrats to everyone that got an interview, lucky buggers

Hey there!

First of all, I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling bummed out. I've been in a similar position and I understand just how stressful it can all be (especially when you have dedicated 5 years of your life to getting in to vet school).

Second, don't give up hope because you're far from out of the running! The way the interview selection process works at WCVM is a little strange since they only use GPA to determine who gets an interview. As a Sask resident (if you still are one), there are 40 interviews for 20 seats. Round 1 interview offers are given to the people who rank 1st-20th academically (so the invites that were just issued). Round 2 invites are extended to ranks 21-40. Yes, the Round 2 interview invites are left until later to allow for second semester grades to be counted, but that does NOT mean that you are at a disadvantage as a non-student! It just means that they consider a current student's entire year's GPA before offering invites in Round 2.

Does that make sense? I was a second round interviewee both times I interviewed and I got in, so don't write yourself off just yet. Even so, I know how hard it can be to watch the Round 1 invites come and go .

Let me know if I can be of any more help to you!

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

I did, but not really expecting much. My gpa is just at the cutoff for the lowest interview percentage from last year. My last semester grades were better and I am working hard to get my gpa up this semester, so if I manage that I could snag a 2nd round interview! We will see.

Fingers crossed for you!

I don't know of anyone in my club with an interview yet, though normally people do tend to keep it close to their chests

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Hey @noodle3 how is vet school going?!

 

[vetplease2020]

just wanted to say that i appreciate everyone's advice and words of wisdom here (even if they weren't directed at me).

i really thought (naively) that my GPA was high enough, so i feel pretty discouraged. however, these last few posts have made me feel a bit better.

i wish we could all just exist happily at one giant vet school together for all eternity, with no worries about interview invites, haha.

 

[StanTheMan7]

Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate you all taking the time to respond to me! It is definitely WAY more encouraging as for some reason I had it in my mind that they sent the majority of invitations the first round and only a couple invitations the second time around - don't know where I got that from! I honestly thought that I had next to no chance at this point so it's good to hear I'm still in the ring. Second round invites are supposed to be sent in mid-May I believe? Thats a wayssss away

I know someone asked about my residency status - I am currently still considered a SK applicant. In August 2016, I moved from Saskatoon to Calgary and started working full time. My understanding is that residency is determined at the time of application, so as of the time of application in December I was still considered a SK resident and thus am still in the SK application pool. There is one thing regarding residency that I am not sure about though, and I plan to ask the admissions staff this question but maybe someone here would have an idea too. I moved from Saskatoon to Calgary in August 2016, worked full time until January 13th, 2017. I was then abroad in Peru and Nicaragua until February 19th, 2017. After this, I returned to Calgary and have continued working until now. I therefore have two questions:

1) Lets say I continue working in Calgary until August. Would I still be considered a SK resident? I will have worked in Calgary full time for a year (August 2016-August 2017) but in the middle I was abroad for 5 weeks, so would my residency still switch over to AB?

2) Lets say I only work in Calgary until May/June, at which time I quit working and start going to school. Since I would have only worked full time in Calgary for 10-11 months, would I still be considered a SK resident or would it switch over to AB?

Pretty complicated questions so I doubt anyone here has an answer but figured I'd throw it out there before I ask the admissions staff!

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

I don't know about those specifics, I'd probably email Heather to ask.

 

[Squishes]

Congrats on the interviews @Sally and Z @peach312 & @CarinaBee @vetplease2020 you may be a second rounder, who knows!! And I agree, everyone on here is so great and supportive. I find myself going through this thread and older ones when doing more undergrad classes is getting me down, which is way too often these days

 

[Sally and Z]

Does anyone from previous years know where exactly the interviews are held if you choose to do it in Edmonton?

 

[fishfinn]

did anyone else get offers today? I got an SK offer this afternoon.. seems everyone else got theirs yesterday though?

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

I know of one person who got a BC interview yesterday, haven't heard about any new interviews today.

 

[Flashthesloth]

The WCVM reference form has a bubble to fill in in regards to how many hours you have worked with the applicant, iirc, so any lack of time would be shown there. I would assume "with reservation" would only be if she had some distinct issue.

With your stats, and being from Sask with those stats, I would be VERY surprised if you didn't get at least an interview. Just make sure you do lots of research about all areas of vet med so that you can show that despite not having the experience, you still have the knowledge of the profession.

Hello BeautifulBritishColumbia

I got an email from WCVM today. It surprised me that I was informed to have an interview on May. I was surprised because I still have 4 courses before finishing the pre-vet courses. I expected to have the email in mid May.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Hello BeautifulBritishColumbia

I got an email from WCVM today. It surprised me that I was informed to have an interview on May. I was surprised because I still have 4 courses before finishing the pre-vet courses. I expected to have the email in mid May.

Congratulations! Told you I'd be surprised if you didn't interview

They way they do things it doesn't matter how many prereqs you have left, providing you can have them all done by the time you stay vet school (or is it this semester?). You will be able to do that, right?

PS the 2nd round invites go out in May, but you got 1 1st round so yay!

 

[Flashthesloth]

Congratulations! Told you I'd be surprised if you didn't interview

They way they do things it doesn't matter how many prereqs you have left, providing you can have them all done by the time you stay vet school (or is it this semester?). You will be able to do that, right?

PS the 2nd round invites go out in May, but you got 1 1st round so yay!

yes this semester is my last semester for the pre-vet courses. I am wondering if the time I took to finish the pre-vet courses in two years that matters. I converted my GPA into percentage based on the data on this website Academic Support - Student Success Centre
I only got about 85-86%. If Stantheman7 who got 84.1% was ranked at 26 academically, I would not have been offered an interview either because my percentage is just 1% higher than him.

 

[StanTheMan7]

yes this semester is my last semester for the pre-vet courses. I am wondering if the time I took to finish the pre-vet courses in two years that matters. I converted my GPA into percentage based on the data on this website Academic Support - Student Success Centre
I only got about 85-86%. If Stantheman7 who got 84.1% was ranked at 26 academically, I would not have been offered an interview either because my percentage is just 1% higher than him.

Hey, congrats on the interview! I just wanted to clarify a couple things.

Those are my application stats for last year! So basically I calculated my admissions average (calculated as: [average of 4 best years x 2/3] + [average of best year x 1/3]) to be 84.1%, which got me a first round invite last year. After I interviewed and found out I didn't get in, I sat down with some of the admissions staff and they informed me that before the interview, my application was ranked 26th academically. When my interview score was added, my application slid down to 29th. They therefore recommended that I focus on gaining more experience and improving the interview portion as the best way to improve my application, so that's what I've been doing over the past year!

It is entirely possible that the cutoff for first round interview invitations is right around 85%, which would explain why you got a first round invitation and I did not!