WCVM/UCVM c/o 2023

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Hi Everyone! It's my first time applying to WCVM. Look forward to knowing more about the school. Third time applying. Hopefully this is the year 🙂 don't know how many more years I could potentially apply for...
 
I am starting at WCVM shortly (c/o 2022), and I was accepted from BC pool with a lower GPA. My PM box is always open if anyone wants any advice/has any questions. 🙂
 
chs621 said:
Hello!
I'm also applying to WCVM, this will be my 3rd time. My grades aren't quite there yet for an interview, but after talking with admissions this year could make them high enough! 3rd times a charm hopefully 🙂
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Hello! Did admission give you any tips on how to improve your grades? Or have you been taking some more courses?
 
Hello to the people applying to UCVM or are already studying at UCVM! Does anyone know the most reason rules of Alberta residency requirement? I've found a discrepancy on their website...One site says "residency at the time of enrollment", but the other one says "at the time of application". I've emailed the admission office and tried to call them several times, I still don't have an answer from them, I hope someone on this forum can help me 🙂
 
barncat said:
Hello to the people applying to UCVM or are already studying at UCVM! Does anyone know the most reason rules of Alberta residency requirement? I've found a discrepancy on their website...One site says "residency at the time of enrollment", but the other one says "at the time of application". I've emailed the admission office and tried to call them several times, I still don't have an answer from them, I hope someone on this forum can help me 🙂
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I believe it is time of application, because I think you have to upload proof of residency as part of your application process. At least you did when I applied!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
awesomenessity said:
I believe it is time of application, because I think you have to upload proof of residency as part of your application process. At least you did when I applied!


Sent from my iPhone
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Oh ok! What kind of proof are they looking for? Like a mail with your name and Alberta address on it? I'm just wondering how to proof that I have been living in Alberta for 12 months without being in school at the same time.
 
barncat said:
Oh ok! What kind of proof are they looking for? Like a mail with your name and Alberta address on it? I'm just wondering how to proof that I have been living in Alberta for 12 months without being in school at the same time.
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I used my Alberta driver’s license but I think they take an Alberta health care card too. Other than that... no idea lol. I’ve lived here my whole life so I’m not sure about the finer details for someone who moved here!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
barncat said:
Oh ok! What kind of proof are they looking for? Like a mail with your name and Alberta address on it? I'm just wondering how to proof that I have been living in Alberta for 12 months without being in school at the same time.
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I think bills with your name and address (like electricity, water, etc) count as well for residency if you can show then for 12 months. But don't hold me to that!
 
barncat said:
Hello! Did admission give you any tips on how to improve your grades? Or have you been taking some more courses?
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Hey! So this will be my 6th year taking undergrad courses (graduated last year), and taking these extra 2 years get rid of my first and second year marks. Heather said for that to be considered a student needs to take a full course load (5 classes per semester), with no more than 3 100 level courses. My average has increased A LOT this year because of my first year marks being dropped, and getting an 85% average for the 2017-2018 year, so it definitely helps to take more courses!
 
Griezmann07 said:
Hi Everyone! It's my first time applying to WCVM. Look forward to knowing more about the school. Third time applying. Hopefully this is the year 🙂 don't know how many more years I could potentially apply for...
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Is it typical to get advice from schools you get denied from on how to improve next year?
 
Vetdude1735 said:
Is it typical to get advice from schools you get denied from on how to improve next year?
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WCVM gives you your ranking and what the grade cutoff was for interviews so that you know what you need to hit. After interview, if you don't get it, they are able to give you extra feedback specific to your interview and application. 🙂
 
chs621 said:
Hey! So this will be my 6th year taking undergrad courses (graduated last year), and taking these extra 2 years get rid of my first and second year marks. Heather said for that to be considered a student needs to take a full course load (5 classes per semester), with no more than 3 100 level courses.
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Me too!! After talking to Heather about needing a full year of courses, I am signed up to start this fall. I have two pre-reqs left but my main goal is to rock all of my courses! Good to know about the 100 level courses, I actually just sent her an email asking about that. Do you know if they view a full course load of higher level courses more favorably than say, one with a mix of levels?
 
Relz. said:
Me too!! After talking to Heather about needing a full year of courses, I am signed up to start this fall. I have two pre-reqs left but my main goal is to rock all of my courses! Good to know about the 100 level courses, I actually just sent her an email asking about that. Do you know if they view a full course load of higher level courses more favorably than say, one with a mix of levels?
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I’m pretty sure UCVM doesn’t actually look at your mix of courses/what you took when, just what your GPA is. That said, one of the biggest pieces of advice I have is don’t “baby” yourself by taking lower level classes or less intense courses to try and get that high GPA... vet school can be brutal and having some background in an intense academic environment will only serve to help you! Plus it will be a good indication of how you would handle that kind of academic environment.

Vlog plug incoming 😉 we have a video on tips to getting into vet school, specific to UCVM but also applies to WCVM:
 
awesomenessity said:
I’m pretty sure UCVM doesn’t actually look at your mix of courses/what you took when, just what your GPA is. That said, one of the biggest pieces of advice I have is don’t “baby” yourself by taking lower level classes or less intense courses to try and get that high GPA... vet school can be brutal and having some background in an intense academic environment will only serve to help you! Plus it will be a good indication of how you would handle that kind of academic environment.

Vlog plug incoming 😉 we have a video on tips to getting into vet school, specific to UCVM but also applies to WCVM:
Click to expand...


@SkiOtter there's the vlog plug hahaha
 
Question about the 5% reference mark for UCVM. Do they give you the full 5% by simply providing the three required references(1 work, 1 prof, 1, non family member) or is it based on the quality of your references?
 
MaronKun said:
Question about the 5% reference mark for UCVM. Do they give you the full 5% by simply providing the three required references(1 work, 1 prof, 1, non family member) or is it based on the quality of your references?
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Pretty sure it’s based on quality, so try and make sure they’re good to get that 5% boost! Might be the difference between waitlisted and not accepted, or accepted and waistlisted.
 
Another question(have been bugging me these past few months since seing the announcement) since there will be soon expansion from 30 seats to 50 seats for first years in UCVM, would the chances of admission be easier (because more seats) or roughly the same since all Alberta students are locked in to UCVM anyway so overall applicants should increase?
 
MaronKun said:
Another question(have been bugging me these past few months since seing the announcement) since there will be soon expansion from 30 seats to 50 seats for first years in UCVM, would the chances of admission be easier (because more seats) or roughly the same since all Alberta students are locked in to UCVM anyway so overall applicants should increase?
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I think possibly easier or the same since I would say most people applied to UCVM and WCVM before, with very few only applying to WCVM, so the numbers would be about the same but with more seats available. The only reason it might be "more difficult" is that WCVM would always take about 10 people out of the originally selected UCVM class, allowing ~10 people in off the waitlist. Now those originally selected people are more likely to accept (since there is no competing class) so the waitlist might move less.
 
T-2 weeks until WCVM applications open!! 🙂 I wonder why it's later this year...
 
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Reggie13 said:
Hey guys, is anyone else having problems logging into the application form?
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Yeah, I was originally closed out too! I emailed IT and I don't know what they did, but the next time I tried it worked. It's your EID so firstname.lastname usually.
 
I'm having a hard time defining whether certain things i've done would qualify as extracurricular activities or as volunteer/community activities. Would anyone be able to provide some examples of their extracurriculars and volunteer/community?
For example, is shadowing a vet volunteer or extracurricular? Do the extracurriculars that we list have to be particularly "impactful"? I enjoy playing sports, so that's what a majority of mine would be...

Good luck to everyone as you get started with the app! 🙂
 
Another question... Sorry for bombarding this thread today :nailbiting: I'm just super excited (and 1st time applicant)!

What is used to determine who gets an interview? Is it 100% based on your GPA from the 4 most recent terms? On the application form it says that academic honours, work exp, extra curricular, volunteer are not used in the selection for interviews.

Then for determining the final rank order for those that are offered admission after interviews it says they use "Average GPA of last 4 full-time undergraduate terms: 30%, MMI performance: 45%, Essay performance: 20%, References: 5%". When do they actually look at work, volunteer, extra curricular etc?
 
Reggie13 said:
Another question... Sorry for bombarding this thread today :nailbiting: I'm just super excited (and 1st time applicant)!

What is used to determine who gets an interview? Is it 100% based on your GPA from the 4 most recent terms? On the application form it says that academic honours, work exp, extra curricular, volunteer are not used in the selection for interviews.

Then for determining the final rank order for those that are offered admission after interviews it says they use "Average GPA of last 4 full-time undergraduate terms: 30%, MMI performance: 45%, Essay performance: 20%, References: 5%". When do they actually look at work, volunteer, extra curricular etc?
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The short answer is: they don't! Lol. They consider it for some entrance scholarships, but otherwise it's just for their own interest. Might help give context to some of your reference letters too. Interview selection is entirely GPA based, and then after the interview process your interview performance is the main factor in selection. So get good grades, then nail the interview, and you're golden!
 
WannabeDogtor said:
Hope everyone's now having luck with getting into the application!
Quick question about transcripts - if we put in our ASN and our only transcripts are from Alberta (for me, U of C and Athabasca) do we need to still mail in official transcripts? Or are they just accessing them through the ASN?
🙂
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I believe if you put your ASN in, then they can pull your transcript, but I would email the admissions coordinator to check!
 
Reggie13 said:
I'm having a hard time defining whether certain things i've done would qualify as extracurricular activities or as volunteer/community activities. Would anyone be able to provide some examples of their extracurriculars and volunteer/community?
For example, is shadowing a vet volunteer or extracurricular? Do the extracurriculars that we list have to be particularly "impactful"? I enjoy playing sports, so that's what a majority of mine would be...

Good luck to everyone as you get started with the app! 🙂
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I discerned "volunteer activities" as those which require me to donate my time and help others in some way (ie. coaching high school athletes, volunteering at the vet clinic, helping run events, etc.). Extracurriculars tend to be things that I do for myself/my own enjoyment (ie. participating in sports, clubs, cooking competitions, etc.).

Hope that helps!
 
HelloSunshine96 said:
I am starting to get annoyed, why do they keep pushing the WCVM application date back?? They aren't leaving us with much time..🙄
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I asked Dr. Clark about it today. It's just due to some annoying paperwork/university approval stuff that he explained and basically was interpreted by me as "boring hoops admin have to jump through". 😛 The application form is expected to be online by next week, and you'll still have quite a few weeks so fill it out. It isn't a long form (and I'm assuming it will be similar/identical to years past) so don't stress. 🙂
 
TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
I asked Dr. Clark about it today. It's just due to some annoying paperwork/university approval stuff that he explained and basically was interpreted by me as "boring hoops admin have to jump through". 😛 The application form is expected to be online by next week, and you'll still have quite a few weeks so fill it out. It isn't a long form (and I'm assuming it will be similar/identical to years past) so don't stress. 🙂
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Hahaha ya that's what I figured, just excited to start that's all! :happy:
 
If we have sent transcripts before and have not done any more schooling since then, do we need to send them again or will they have them on file?
 
Hello everyone!! I'm new to this site and practically read the entire WCVM/UVCM 2022 thread. It made me so happy seeing lots of people go from anxiously waiting to apply to waiting for an interview to, for most, getting accepted! It made me feel like I am definitely not the only one that constantly gets those "Am I good enough for Vet school" thoughts.

This year will be my first time applying 🙂 My question is, I have been taking a mixture of 4 and 3 course loads for all of my three years of University. How much is my course load going to affect my application? I know they like when people take 5 course loads, but for me, I knew it would have definitely taken a toll on my GPA. Instead, I focused on volunteering and shadowing, which brought me everywhere from dairy barns to farms to clinics. Currently, my GPA is 4.028, but I will send my transcript in once December grades are out (still finishing off 3 more prerequisites!) so it might change. Regarding my course load, do I have a chance for an interview? I'm incredibly worried that they'll assume I don't have what it takes for Vet school 🙁

Thanks! I hope everyone is as excited as I am to finish applying! Good luck to everyone 🙂
 
HelloSunshine96 said:
If we have sent transcripts before and have not done any more schooling since then, do we need to send them again or will they have them on file?
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My gut thinks I saw that they will have your grades on record from last year, but I would email Heather or Shauna to confirm that. 🙂
 
michaelclangelo said:
Hello everyone!! I'm new to this site and practically read the entire WCVM/UVCM 2022 thread. It made me so happy seeing lots of people go from anxiously waiting to apply to waiting for an interview to, for most, getting accepted! It made me feel like I am definitely not the only one that constantly gets those "Am I good enough for Vet school" thoughts.

This year will be my first time applying 🙂 My question is, I have been taking a mixture of 4 and 3 course loads for all of my three years of University. How much is my course load going to affect my application? I know they like when people take 5 course loads, but for me, I knew it would have definitely taken a toll on my GPA. Instead, I focused on volunteering and shadowing, which brought me everywhere from dairy barns to farms to clinics. Currently, my GPA is 4.028, but I will send my transcript in once December grades are out (still finishing off 3 more prerequisites!) so it might change. Regarding my course load, do I have a chance for an interview? I'm incredibly worried that they'll assume I don't have what it takes for Vet school 🙁

Thanks! I hope everyone is as excited as I am to finish applying! Good luck to everyone 🙂
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I'm not really sure how much that will affect you. I remember Chris Clark telling us during the visiting information session that they really prefer to see at least 1 year (or even 1 semester) of 5 courses. However, a friend of mine got an interview 2 cycles ago and she had never taken more than 4 courses at once (and often took 3). I don't think it is as big of a deal as you are stressing about, don't worry! 🙂

In terms of odds for an interview, interviews are given out strictly on grades, and the provincial pools are all a little different. So without knowing what province you are from, it's hard for anyone to compare your GPA to the cutoff GPA in years previous.
 
TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
I'm not really sure how much that will affect you. I remember Chris Clark telling us during the visiting information session that they really prefer to see at least 1 year (or even 1 semester) of 5 courses. However, a friend of mine got an interview 2 cycles ago and she had never taken more than 4 courses at once (and often took 3). I don't think it is as big of a deal as you are stressing about, don't worry! 🙂

In terms of odds for an interview, interviews are given out strictly on grades, and the provincial pools are all a little different. So without knowing what province you are from, it's hard for anyone to compare your GPA to the cutoff GPA in years previous.
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Oh, I should have included that in my last post! I'm from Manitoba 🙂 Hopefully there's other Manitobans here so we can stress out together over some coffee and dog rescue videos
 
michaelclangelo said:
Oh, I should have included that in my last post! I'm from Manitoba 🙂 Hopefully there's other Manitobans here so we can stress out together over some coffee and dog rescue videos
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For UCVM, the minimum course load requirement for your last 4 term gpa is 4 courses. So the terms that you have only 3 courses would not count for your last 4 full term GPA which means you're gonna need to do additional terms where you have 4 first time attempt classes.
 
MaronKun said:
For UCVM, the minimum course load requirement for your last 4 term gpa is 4 courses. So the terms that you have only 3 courses would not count for your last 4 full term GPA which means you're gonna need to do additional terms where you have 4 first time attempt classes.
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@michaelclangelo won't be able to attend UCVM if they are from Manitoba anyways, so UCVM requirements don't apply to them.
 
michaelclangelo said:
Oh, I should have included that in my last post! I'm from Manitoba 🙂 Hopefully there's other Manitobans here so we can stress out together over some coffee and dog rescue videos
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I'm a Manitoba applicant! Would definitely meet up before interviews if you want to maybe DM your Facebook
 
Hey guys!
I'm now a little confused about the full-time course load rules, so could someone please enlighten me? I thought this whole time that you had to take the 10 pre-req courses in a FULL course load (at least 4 per term). So, to repeat any of those courses, wouldn't you have to take a 5 course load? I thought you weren't allowed to take any in spring or summer. If I already have a degree and can any of those 4 years of 4 courses per term, could I repeat one of the pre-reqs in spring or summer?

Also, does anyone know if you're allowed to take courses after you graduate? I want to apply for graduation but don't want to not have the option to take an extra term and improve my GPA if I want.
 
justdobeit said:
Hey guys!
I'm now a little confused about the full-time course load rules, so could someone please enlighten me? I thought this whole time that you had to take the 10 pre-req courses in a FULL course load (at least 4 per term). So, to repeat any of those courses, wouldn't you have to take a 5 course load? I thought you weren't allowed to take any in spring or summer. If I already have a degree and can any of those 4 years of 4 courses per term, could I repeat one of the pre-reqs in spring or summer?

Also, does anyone know if you're allowed to take courses after you graduate? I want to apply for graduation but don't want to not have the option to take an extra term and improve my GPA if I want.
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Can only speak to UCVM but I took all my chem, biochem, and stats prereqs after graduating my BSc. Took 1 or 2 at a time. Didn't impact my acceptance into UCVM at that time, though it was a few years ago now (jeez that sounds weird) and I don't keep up on all the little changes to admission. However, I haven't heard word on them changing that particular part. No clue about WCVM, though as far as I know they tend to be substantially similar?
 
justdobeit said:
Hey guys!
I'm now a little confused about the full-time course load rules, so could someone please enlighten me? I thought this whole time that you had to take the 10 pre-req courses in a FULL course load (at least 4 per term). So, to repeat any of those courses, wouldn't you have to take a 5 course load? I thought you weren't allowed to take any in spring or summer. If I already have a degree and can any of those 4 years of 4 courses per term, could I repeat one of the pre-reqs in spring or summer?

Also, does anyone know if you're allowed to take courses after you graduate? I want to apply for graduation but don't want to not have the option to take an extra term and improve my GPA if I want.
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You have it a little confused, let me clarify (to my knowledge admission is the same as it was last year):

For WCVM you can take your prereqs whenever you want (summer, fall, spring, etc) at any course load you want. However, for your best year (which counts for 1/3 of your admissions academic average) you must be taking a full course load (at least 4 courses each semester) from the time period of September-April. Those particular courses don’t matter. So your best year won’t include summer courses. For example, my best year included 4 prereqs and 5 random courses. I also retook a prereq the summer after my first year since I dropped it when I first attempted it.

They do, however, recommend having at least 1 semester of 5 coursss (though that isn’t an official requirement).

I have no idea about the taking courses after graduation, I never finished my degree lol. Email your school and ask?
 
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