Western 2025-2026 (c/o 2030 hopefuls)

Started by supershorty
Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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Whiskers_to_Toebeans said:
Nice! Did you receive an interview last time you applied? Where else are you applying?
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I did not get an interview last year. I had less than 200 vet hours so I think that played a part. This year I have over 1000 so I’m really hoping for an interview! I’m applying almost everywhere I can tbh, but western might be my top choice. I’m also applying to Davis, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Kansas, Louisiana, Iowa, Ross, rvc, lmu, Ohio, Midwestern, Arizona, and I think that’s it.
 
Animallover2828 said:
Does anyone have an idea of when we will hear back about interviews / rejections for westerns program?
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I have heard that in the past they started offering interviews in October/November. I was recently informed directly by my admissions counselor through WesternU that they do interviews all the way through the end of April. He also said they like to have decisions out typically 6-8 weeks after your interview, but I do know (from reading posts from last cycle) some people waited a very long time for a decision post-interview. They may have changed things for this cycle, I'm not sure. Fingers crossed!
 
Whiskers_to_Toebeans said:
I have heard that in the past they started offering interviews in October/November. I was recently informed directly by my admissions counselor through WesternU that they do interviews all the way through the end of April. He also said they like to have decisions out typically 6-8 weeks after your interview, but I do know (from reading posts from last cycle) some people waited a very long time for a decision post-interview. They may have changed things for this cycle, I'm not sure. Fingers crossed!
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HOPING for everyone's sake that it's sooner... scrolling through last year's board has me a little scared to say the least about timeline things...
 
I received an email from WesternU stating in part:

"This email is to let you know that your application is still with the College of Veterinary Medicine Admissions Committee.

Due to the volume of applications submitted, it may take some time to receive the Committee’s decision."
 
Whiskers_to_Toebeans said:
I received an email from WesternU stating in part:

"This email is to let you know that your application is still with the College of Veterinary Medicine Admissions Committee.

Due to the volume of applications submitted, it may take some time to receive the Committee’s decision."
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I got this same email, I’m curious how much this will push back their decision and interview timeline😣
 
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I received an “Application Still With Admissions Committee” email today. This is the second email they’ve sent explaining the delay. I’m itching to hear back from them😣 has anyone else heard back about interviews?
 
Animallover2828 said:
I received an “Application Still With Admissions Committee” email today. This is the second email they’ve sent explaining the delay. I’m itching to hear back from them😣 has anyone else heard back about interviews?
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I haven't received that email a second time yet, nor heard anything about an interview yet. It sounds like they will be interviewing for months though. When did your application initially get sent to the admissions committee?
 
Whiskers_to_Toebeans said:
I haven't received that email a second time yet, nor heard anything about an interview yet. It sounds like they will be interviewing for months though. When did your application initially get sent to the admissions committee?
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I submitted my application early, around mid July. I know that Western does not do rolling admissions and that I can hear back later in the cycle but I’m just so eager to see if I’ll get an interview 🥲
 
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I just interviewed with Western this week. From my understanding, this was the first wave of applicants that were invited to interview. The second group were sent out invitations sometime earlier this week. No clue what determines the order for who gets these invites (For additional context, I submitted my application mid-August). Considering they interview through spring, there is plenty of time to hear back about an interview. Do not fret yet, it’s still very early in the game!
 
dew5 said:
I just interviewed with Western this week. From my understanding, this was the first wave of applicants that were invited to interview. The second group were sent out invitations sometime earlier this week. No clue what determines the order for who gets these invites (For additional context, I submitted my application mid-August). Considering they interview through spring, there is plenty of time to hear back about an interview. Do not fret yet, it’s still very early in the game!
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Thanks for the info! I’m only concerned because I had submitted my application so early, I assumed I would hear from them sooner rather than later. I still have hopes I’ll at least manage an interview! Good luck to you and congrats on your interview 🥳
 
Animallover2828 said:
Thanks for the info! I’m only concerned because I had submitted my application so early, I assumed I would hear from them sooner rather than later. I still have hopes I’ll at least manage an interview! Good luck to you and congrats on your interview 🥳
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You bet! I assume they aren't prioritizing their interviews based on submission date, but rather by some other metric. Not to say that's grounds for concern by any means. My advice is to take a deep breath because what will be will be at this point. Thank you very much, I have high hopes for you as well! Best of luck!!
 
Last year I got denied and It wasn’t until the very end of April that I had heard anything. it was the last school I had heard from.
 
I got the same email.
My advisor said it is a glitch in their admissions system and it’s across all programs. I was assured, not to worry, all is good.
 
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atrotter said:
Yes, ofc. I’m a second time applicant. I graduated undergrad in 2022. I took ~12 science classes after graduation to get my gpa up. My GPA was around a 3.35 but after I submitted my repeated coursework form it was 3.5. My science gpa was 3.3. My last 45 gpa was around a 3.89. Small animal hours were just under 3000. I volunteer at an exotics hospital and I volunteer with horses. I had research experience with insects and amphibians. I was previously in human medicine and have around 2400 hours in human medicine. I hope this helps!
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Thanks! It looks like you have a strong application!

I've just been trying to figure out the method to the madness of order of interview invites and was seeing a possible GPA trend. I applied in August but my application wasn't sent to the committee right away (pending transcript) so was sent mid-September.

My cumulative GPA at the time was 3.51 and my science GPA was 3.53. I have a bachelor's and master's degree, and feel like my hours/experiences are pretty good and diverse (although I don't have research experience).

My stats are:
27,719 animal non-vet (mostly small, but also some large and wildlife/exotic-- majority volunteer, some paid)
1,690 vet experience (small animal: general practice & ER)
1,102 volunteer non-animal
8,904 employment non-animal
7,661 extra-curricular
 
Whiskers_to_Toebeans said:
My stats are:
27,719 animal non-vet (mostly small, but also some large and wildlife/exotic-- majority volunteer, some paid)
1,690 vet experience (small animal: general practice & ER)
1,102 volunteer non-animal
8,904 employment non-animal
7,661 extra-curricular
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Are you a second career/nontraditional applicant? I'm just curious/nosy/questioning because these hours calculate to the equivalent of 22 years of full-time work
 
pp9 said:
Are you a second career/nontraditional applicant? I'm just curious/nosy/questioning because these hours calculate to the equivalent of 22 years of full-time work
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Yes, I am! I am almost 34 years old. I founded a 501(c)3 non-profit animal rescue when I was about 15 years old (hence the very heavy animal non-vet hours). I was homeschooled starting in 8th grade to allow for more flexibility in my schedule for my rescue work. I have a BA and MS in Psychology and am currently a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. My entire life has been very animal and volunteer centered (for both animals and humans)...and very busy, which is why my hours are so high. It might not look like it adds up just with the raw numbers, but if you look at my actual experiences/hours on my application it makes sense. 😊

Up until the end of high school I wanted to go into vet med but changed course (mentioned in my personal statement). I always stayed very involved with animals and volunteering (just how my life is, not for the purpose of "looking good on an application", as I didn't plan to switch back to the vet med route until a little over a year ago).
 
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Whiskers_to_Toebeans said:
Yes, I am! I am almost 34 years old. I founded a 501(c)3 non-profit animal rescue when I was about 15 years old (hence the very heavy animal non-vet hours). I was homeschooled starting in 8th grade to allow for more flexibility in my schedule for my rescue work. I have a BA and MS in Psychology and am currently a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. My entire life has been very animal and volunteer centered (for both animals and humans)...and very busy, which is why my hours are so high. It might not look like it adds up just with the raw numbers, but if you look at my actual experiences/hours on my application it makes sense. 😊

Up until the end of high school I wanted to go into vet med but changed course (mentioned in my personal statement). I always stayed very involved with animals and volunteering (just how my life is, not for the purpose of "looking good on an application", as I didn't plan to switch back to the vet med route until a little over a year ago).
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No need to justify! You don't often see decades-worth of work/other experience, especially not calculated down to the individual hour, so I was just curious.
 
pp9 said:
No need to justify! You don't often see decades-worth of work/other experience, especially not calculated down to the individual hour, so I was just curious.
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Ah, got it! That was definitely a pain trying to calculate for VMCAS. 🥲 The volunteer is probably a very close estimate, but I know the employment (vet hours included) is exact because of pay stubs/record of that. My volunteer non-animal hours include my one year non-paid traineeship in grad school, which I was able to calculate exactly as well. 😊
 
Whiskers_to_Toebeans said:
Yes, I am! I am almost 34 years old. I founded a 501(c)3 non-profit animal rescue when I was about 15 years old (hence the very heavy animal non-vet hours). I was homeschooled starting in 8th grade to allow for more flexibility in my schedule for my rescue work. I have a BA and MS in Psychology and am currently a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. My entire life has been very animal and volunteer centered (for both animals and humans)...and very busy, which is why my hours are so high. It might not look like it adds up just with the raw numbers, but if you look at my actual experiences/hours on my application it makes sense. 😊

Up until the end of high school I wanted to go into vet med but changed course (mentioned in my personal statement). I always stayed very involved with animals and volunteering (just how my life is, not for the purpose of "looking good on an application", as I didn't plan to switch back to the vet med route until a little over a year ago).
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That is SO stinkin' cool! Wow! You got this!
 
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