WesternU CVM Vs UC Davis SVM

[tuwest2011]

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So I had to do it this thread has been a long coming. I have never been to Davis and I hear great things. I know Western is awesome bcause I have visited and been accpeted there lol ! I'll start with the PBL versus UC davis new curriculum which maybe some one can inform me on? We can talk about tuition cost etc lets keep it semi nice but honest!

 

[Savethewhales]

Tuwest did you apply to Davis? I got into both but unlike some of the other students that got into both, I'm accepting Western and declining Davis.....curious to hear other people have to say about this......

 

[nyanko]

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[tuwest2011]

Well no I didnt apply to Davis for 2 reasons lol they wanted organic II and also Davis curriculum wasnt clearly defined to me. Thats true about the research also Davis is a leader but I hate research and adore those who do it lol! Western has large classes but when it comes to Western I feel that not having a teaching hospital reinforces the approach for producing practice ready veterinarians. Academic settings kind of protect students and shield them from many real life practice encounters .

 

[quantized]

I'm uncomfortable with the role Banfield plays at Western. I was also deterred by the huge difference in cost (although that gap is lessening :/ ). Western is a good school that produces good vets, but it was not for me, so I only applied to Davis and other state funded OOS institutions. Davis is a leader in many fields and has an excellent reputation, so I don't regret my choice. YMMV.

 

[tuwest2011]

I'm uncomfortable with the role Banfield plays at Western. I was also deterred by the huge difference in cost (although that gap is lessening :/ ). Western is a good school that produces good vets, but it was not for me, so I only applied to Davis and other state funded OOS institutions. Davis is a leader in many fields and has an excellent reputation, so I don't regret my choice. YMMV.

Well Banfield is only used in years 1 & 2 as an introduction to clinics. It does not serve in the same capacity as that of a teaching hospital. I think some people confuse the two. Would you look at that Western students also start seeing patients in the 1st week of class which include yr 2 before there intro into clinics in the third yr!

 

[nyanko]

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[tuwest2011]

While this has some merit for sure, UCDavis has made an effort to provide students with a more similar experience to that they'd get in small animal private practice with the Community Practice service, which senior students can rotate through, and other types of options like private practice externships and shelter med and such.

Our new curriculum will also be more hands-on and integrative, and students will actually be at the VMTH getting the early clinical exposures for 1 day every 3 weeks during first and second years.

I also think that our class is actually bigger than or at least around the same size as Western's...we've got 133, what's their size?

class size is 100-105 yea Davis is larger but hey can you inform me a little more on the curriculum?

 

[heylodeb]

class size is 100-105 yea Davis is larger but hey can you inform me a little more on the curriculum?

TU West - if you look at the UC Davis c/o2015 thread - there is a whole pile of information on it in there. You can also go to the UC Davis vet school website and watch a 30 minute talk on it.

The very short version is that it is a combined PBL and traditional curriculum with additional time in the teaching hospital. (beginning in 1st year) Our class will be the first to experience it so there hasn't really been an opportunity to critique it yet. I was leery at first but after attending the informational workshop, I was actually excited about its potential.

As for Western - I didn't even apply there and have never visited the campus. However, I only had money to apply to 4 schools this year, and quite honestly, I've never been very interested in Western. 1. Complete PBL, although effective, can be frustrating for me if I'm not in well tailored groups. 2. I want a teaching hospital on campus that is well established 3. My husband would rather die than live that close to LA. 😉...

I just haven't had the best impressions of the school. They feel "corporate america" to me based off of their website and the very little interaction that I had with them while deciding whether or not to apply.

Since you say that you didn't get into/apply to Davis - are you just asking for the fun of the debate or are you considering not attending this year to go to Davis?

EDIT: never mind - just re read your first post and it looks like you're just asking for the fun of it. Carry on, everyone, carry on

 

[Savethewhales]

I am totally glad that Davis is changing the curriculum but I was not really thrilled about being a guinea pig. Being in the UC system already, I am definitely concerned about some issues especially state funding. If I did want to do research, hands down I would be at Davis.

As far as Banfield. During the first two years, students do 3 rotations every block and only 1 is at Banfield. So it sounds like the amount of time during each year that is spent at Banfield is only 16 hours. Not enough, in my opinion, to turn down a school. I was also very attracted to the fact that some first years were already gaining surgery experience. I am super interested in surgery and I have friends that have struggled because they graduated only having done a partial spay.

What IS my opinion?.....I think ultimately you get what you put into it and there are good grads and bad grads from each and every school. Going to either school doesn't guarantee you will be a good doctor so you might as well pick the place that you feel like would be best suited for your individual needs. This was a very very hard decision for me because I always pictured myself going to Davis and there is a lot of name recognition and vet med tradition that comes with that school. I also had a very negative experience in my trip up there for the interview so I decided it is just not the place for me.

Good luck to first years at both schools. Sounds like the new Davis curriculum is definitely a positive change.

Heylodeb: First of all Congrats!! I have been following your application process and I know this acceptance was a big one for you. You have very good reasons for Western not being a good fit for you. I get what you mean about the corporate feel and I definitely felt that at first but I purposely spent more time there going to their open house and talking to students and admissions because at first there was a concern about that. What I have come to learn is that the professors are not like that at all. They are there to teach and they have an open door policy for office hours. Basically if they are on campus, they are there for YOU. This, and the smaller class size ultimately felt more personal for me. Again....a personal choice

 

[heylodeb]

Thank you SaveTheWhales 🙂 I'm a little out of control excited about getting in! 😉 Congrats to you, too! Yay for c/o 2015! (regardless of whether it's western or UCD)

I have to go to work - but am interested to see where this conversation goes in the next 8 hours!

 

[tuwest2011]

TU West - if you look at the UC Davis c/o2015 thread - there is a whole pile of information on it in there. You can also go to the UC Davis vet school website and watch a 30 minute talk on it.

The very short version is that it is a combined PBL and traditional curriculum with additional time in the teaching hospital. (beginning in 1st year) Our class will be the first to experience it so there hasn't really been an opportunity to critique it yet. I was leery at first but after attending the informational workshop, I was actually excited about its potential.

As for Western - I didn't even apply there and have never visited the campus. However, I only had money to apply to 4 schools this year, and quite honestly, I've never been very interested in Western. 1. Complete PBL, although effective, can be frustrating for me if I'm not in well tailored groups. 2. I want a teaching hospital on campus that is well established 3. My husband would rather die than live that close to LA. 😉...

I just haven't had the best impressions of the school. They feel "corporate america" to me based off of their website and the very little interaction that I had with them while deciding whether or not to apply.

Since you say that you didn't get into/apply to Davis - are you just asking for the fun of the debate or are you considering not attending this year to go to Davis?

EDIT: never mind - just re read your first post and it looks like you're just asking for the fun of it. Carry on, everyone, carry on

Well I just had to compare these 2 great veterinary programs as seeing that I will never attend Davis . i never applied to Davis I'm from NJ and alsoI just was having some posiitive insight on both programs. Hey whatdo you mean Western is to Coporate ?

 

[tuwest2011]

Western has the WAVe program which is a willed animal for Veterinary Education. This alllows for students not to be doing useless procedure for educational purposes. I feel more confident in practicing my clinical skills this way. Some may say but hey animals will be alive in practice, but Western CVM will move it;s students towards live animals based on compentency of skill 😀

 

[marcwood]

Other than having a Banfield hospital on campus and having to do a 4 rotations there in your first 2 years and 1 rotation there in your 3rd year, I don't really identify WesternU as a "Banfield funded" school. Corporate veterinary companies are not for everyone (myslef included) but I actually don't mind my rotations there. I get a lot of clinical stuff done and I get to feel like a real doctor because I am completely in charge of the case (with the DVM's supervision of course). I like how they would ask me "what were your physical exam findings?" "are you concerned about...and why?" "what do you think is causing that?" "what would be your next step?" "ok, good! go ahead and call the owner to get authorization"

I can't wait for 3rd and 4th year when we get to do our rotations. Yes, we don't have a teaching hospital but we have rotations at all different kinds of practices (specialty practices included). Teaching hospitals at vetmeds see a lot of specialty cases which is great but what about the normal everyday cases we will see in general practice? With the curriculum rotating into various and diverse practices, I feel I will be able to get a lot of breadth in my experiences and not just in specialty medicine.

Like I've said many times before, for those deciding on Western, you really have to think about how PBL will work for you. I'm sure there are many people in my class that are not PBL people but are doing well. Just because you are a lecture type person does not mean you will not do well. You have to be able to adapt to change, be an independent thinker, asses your progress and productivity and adjust your methods...you know qualities that would probably help you be successful in the real world (no matter what profession).

 

[moosenanny]

I heard a rumor from someone about 1/4 of the first year class failing out of Western. I can't believe this is true - can a current student out there clarify, please?

 

[marcwood]

I heard a rumor from someone about 1/4 of the first year class failing out of Western. I can't believe this is true - can a current student out there clarify, please?

No, 25 people are not failing out of 2014. Ah the rumor mill!

Correction...105*0.25= 26.25 ... No, 26.25 people are not failing out of 2014!

 

[moosenanny]

Have you lost anyone?

 

[marcwood]

Have you lost anyone?

If you were held back or flunked out would you want someone to talk about it on a public forum? I wouldn't!

 

[moosenanny]

I wasn't asking you to name names!!! I am just curious. Other people from other schools have reported how many students have been lost from their classes. For instance, I don't think it is totally inappropriate to say we have lost two from our original 135 - but both were solely due to medical reasons that the students could not control.

 

[tuwest2011]

I wasn't asking you to name names!!! I am just curious. Other people from other schools have reported how many students have been lost from their classes. For instance, I don't think it is totally inappropriate to say we have lost two from our original 135 - but both were solely due to medical reasons that the students could not control.

I have to say that doesnt really matter ,but students will fail it's apart of life at any veterinary program. I do not think it reflects the school as a whole. It maybe circumstantial or just failure to understand the process. You do get the chance to repeat the year if this happens at Western . I would however like to mention how Western has set a record for the 97% Navle pass rate for first time test takers. In my opinion they must be doing something correct 😀. Way to go Westerners for coming together and addressing myths and misconceptions.

 

[Howister]

I am concerned over the emphasis on group work/case studies at Western, it seems as if there was too little guidance from professors/DVMs.

 

[Savethewhales]

I am concerned over the emphasis on group work/case studies at Western, it seems as if there was too little guidance from professors/DVMs.

Are you also concerned about Cornell? They are pretty much the innovators of pbl and I've heard nothing but positive things about Cornell grads.

Western not only assigns a phd/dvm mentor to each incoming student but they also have an open door policy so basically if professors are on campus they are accessible. Remember...vets are different than doctors....we are expected to graduate being practice ready. The idea of pbl is to give you the tools to research and figure out cases on your own as opposed to being told what you need to know. As was said before....the board pass rates seem to speak for themselves. And Western grads are getting jobs. Those two stats are enough for me.

Howister...did that answer your concern or was their something more specific you are concerned about?

 

[Savethewhales]

I heard a rumor from someone about 1/4 of the first year class failing out of Western. I can't believe this is true - can a current student out there clarify, please?

Tread carefully here....you are a smart girl and I really dont believe you actually think this stat could possibly be true. I know you say "I can't believe this is true" but this question felt like by repeating the "rumor" you were feeding the rumor mill a bit...I feel like if you genuinely wanted to know the amount of people failing out you could have just said..."hey there...curious about Western's first year retention rate". One of the main things that deterred me from Davis was the fact that I was told by my first year Davis mentor that Davis students pass a test box down from year to year. ***She was bragging about how the professors hardly ever change the questions*** and the first year they did this students got 99% on anatomy tests. So.....I have no idea about people failing out of first year at Western but I would rather fail my first year than cheat my way through it and have to be a doctor on my own when I graduate. My best friend was with me and she even asked...isn't that practically cheating and the girl shrugged and laughed and said its been done for years. I'm not saying this because I'm bitter about anything because ultimately I received an acceptance from Davis but this incident was one of the personal factors that led me to choose a different school. I am not saying that every student participates because obviously people can choose not to.

 

[Howister]

I think that my main concern, is probably due to a lack of understanding of a full PBL model. I haven't read Westerns curriculum for over a year, but it seems to me that most of the learning is done on your own/ in a group setting. While that seems great, I'd think that it would also have to be coupled with a fair amount of lecture/guidance and not just an open door policy. In PBL, exactly how much lecture/involvement from professors/dvms is there? Also...to clarify, I am concerned about how well I would do in that environment as opposed to in Davis's new curriculum, not how great the grads are from either program.

Are you also concerned about Cornell? They are pretty much the innovators of pbl and I've heard nothing but positive things about Cornell grads.

Western not only assigns a phd/dvm mentor to each incoming student but they also have an open door policy so basically if professors are on campus they are accessible. Remember...vets are different than doctors....we are expected to graduate being practice ready. The idea of pbl is to give you the tools to research and figure out cases on your own as opposed to being told what you need to know. As was said before....the board pass rates seem to speak for themselves. And Western grads are getting jobs. Those two stats are enough for me.

Howister...did that answer your concern or was their something more specific you are concerned about?

 

[eventualeventer]

First of all, who's spreading inflammatory rumors now? Second, the test box is hardly a secret; the unofficially-official big sib-little sib program includes the handing down of the test box, and the professors know we have them and definitely change questions from year to year. They are not for "cheating" or replacing studying your notes, they are for additional review and getting a sense of how a professor likes to ask questions. If a certain point shows up year after year on exams, that might also be a hint that the professor considers it really important for everyone to know. Further, I didn't get any benefit from the test file for the anatomy practical, which was a big chunk of the anatomy grade. If having a test file is cheating, I want to know why a) there is a range of grades at Davis, including people failing individual exams, b) it is done in plain sight of administration and hasn't been cracked down on, and c) Davis students do just fine on NAVLE (or do they have a test file for that, too?).

BTW, if you look on the other thread about old exams, we are not the only school to hand down old tests.

 

[moosenanny]

Tread carefully here....you are a smart girl and I really dont believe you actually think this stat could possibly be true. I know you say "I can't believe this is true" but this question felt like by repeating the "rumor" you were feeding the rumor mill a bit...I feel like if you genuinely wanted to know the amount of people failing out you could have just said..."hey there...curious about Western's first year retention rate".

I apologize if I came off as rude in any way. I wasn't trying to spread rumors. I suppose I should have asked my question in a more neutral way, but it seems as if it might not have been answered anyway judging from the defensive responses posted. The person who told me this crazy rumor stated it as a fact as if she knew the stat for sure, and by trying to clear things up for myself, I was attempting to eliminate the rumor in my mind (so that when people discuss Western it isn't the first thing that pops up in my head). I don't disrespect Western in any way - and I wanted to quell this curiosity so that nothing clouds my opinion, especially heresay. I hope my apology is accepted.

 

[primatevetjess]

One of the main things that deterred me from Davis was the fact that I was told by my first year Davis mentor that Davis students pass a test box down from year to year. ***She was bragging about how the professors hardly ever change the questions*** and the first year they did this students got 99% on anatomy tests. So.....I have no idea about people failing out of first year at Western but I would rather fail my first year than cheat my way through it and have to be a doctor on my own when I graduate. My best friend was with me and she even asked...isn't that practically cheating and the girl shrugged and laughed and said its been done for years.

Just FYI and for anyone else reading this thread - we DO have a test file that gets passed down. Most schools have these. However, I don't know a single person that studies just the old exams and memorizes the answers to the questions. And actually, most of the professors either write new questions or don't hand back old exams. Everyone I know (myself included), studies very hard like they would for any exam and then uses the old exams in the last several hours to test themselves and see what they need to spend more time on. We use them in my study group to quiz each other.

You made it sound like everyone just memorizes old exams and then aces every class, so I thought that I would clarify as that is not the case at all. There have actually only been a few exams in two years where I've walked in and it's identical to a previous exam. And in those instances, I still learned the material because a) I actually WANT to learn the material so that I can be a good doctor and b) you can't ever bank on an exam being identical to previous one. If people only studied from the test file, they'd fail out the first quarter.

You can't say something like "I would rather fail my first year than cheat my way through it" and not expect Davis students to take offense. I am NOT cheating my way through vet school, and am offended that you would imply as much.

 

[quantized]

One of the main things that deterred me from Davis was the fact that I was told by my first year Davis mentor that Davis students pass a test box down from year to year. ***She was bragging about how the professors hardly ever change the questions*** and the first year they did this students got 99% on anatomy tests. So.....I have no idea about people failing out of first year at Western but I would rather fail my first year than cheat my way through it and have to be a doctor on my own when I graduate. My best friend was with me and she even asked...isn't that practically cheating and the girl shrugged and laughed and said its been done for years.

This is eventualeventer doing the muscle dance. Clearly when you get to the piriformis m., you do a piroutte. We learned this off multiple test files (If you squint, you can see eventualeventer's test file was compiled by some sadist named "Miller") as the pro way to an easy 99%...and eventualeventer got the highest 99% in the class every time. As they always say, 98% is the UC Davis F, so no one want to be that loser with the 98%! Thank god for the test file, keeping us all at 99% and letting us cheat our way through vet school.

 

[moosenanny]

As far as test files, I think that is a totally different issue (although I suppose you are trying to say that Davis is easy and that's why nobody fails out? Btw, I have no idea if people have failed out of other classes - it's not like Davis students are more invincible than students at other schools). The new curriculum will probably lessen the usage of test files, and I know some professors don't support them (and hence have stopped returning old exams), but the official position of the school is that utilizing test files is NOT cheating. The head of our academic affairs committee said that they are fine, as long as they don't include materials not intended to be handed back (this is a bit hard to explain over the internet, but for example, if a key were posted for general viewing in a glass display case, and someone took a photo of it). I have never heard of "elicit" test file contents - only exams that professors handed back, knowing they'd end up in the test file. I'm not going to lie - some of our exams have similar questions to past years, because, as my colleague pointed out, that concept is so important it is obvious to everyone that it will be asked, test file or no test file. Heck, sometimes our professors in class point-blank tell us something will be on a test because it is integral knowledge for a vet to have! When it comes down to it, we still have to learn the material. Some may think that the test files are a curse in that professors make the exams harder year to year knowing the easier questions have been "used up." I know Penn students have discussed this in various threads. To reiterate, we are not the only school with test files, and it is not considered cheating by the students, faculty, or administration here.

 

[Savethewhales]

Howister....this makes total sense! Yes....I think PBL in general is pretty concerning because you aren't told exactly what you need to know. I think at Western there is some lecture and also interaction with upperclassmen. I know Davis is integrating some group work but there is still going to be a considerable amount of lecture. Some people learn better in lecture and if thats the case for you I think its best to be honest with yourself. I have said it before and will say it again. I truly do not think there is one program that is best for everyone. You should definitely choose the school that you feel will make YOU the best doctor. You are going to be spending 4 years and a lot of money on your future so you are super smart to ask questions so you can figure out where you will excel. As far as the new Davis curriculum....you will probably know more after the fall semester starts....

 

[tuwest2011]

First of all, who's spreading inflammatory rumors now? Second, the test box is hardly a secret; the unofficially-official big sib-little sib program includes the handing down of the test box, and the professors know we have them and definitely change questions from year to year. They are not for "cheating" or replacing studying your notes, they are for additional review and getting a sense of how a professor likes to ask questions. If a certain point shows up year after year on exams, that might also be a hint that the professor considers it really important for everyone to know. Further, I didn't get any benefit from the test file for the anatomy practical, which was a big chunk of the anatomy grade. If having a test file is cheating, I want to know why a) there is a range of grades at Davis, including people failing individual exams, b) it is done in plain sight of administration and hasn't been cracked down on, and c) Davis students do just fine on NAVLE (or do they have a test file for that, too?).

BTW, if you look on the other thread about old exams, we are not the only school to hand down old tests.

To bad we dont have a test box at Western and the program is designed just so things like that do not happen. So you can see the amount of stress and anxiety Western students go through considering we dont know who made or what is on or Veterinary Basic Science exams.

 

[Savethewhales]

First of all, who's spreading inflammatory rumors now? Second, the test box is hardly a secret; the unofficially-official big sib-little sib program includes the handing down of the test box, and the professors know we have them and definitely change questions from year to year. They are not for "cheating" or replacing studying your notes, they are for additional review and getting a sense of how a professor likes to ask questions. If a certain point shows up year after year on exams, that might also be a hint that the professor considers it really important for everyone to know. Further, I didn't get any benefit from the test file for the anatomy practical, which was a big chunk of the anatomy grade. If having a test file is cheating, I want to know why a) there is a range of grades at Davis, including people failing individual exams, b) it is done in plain sight of administration and hasn't been cracked down on, and c) Davis students do just fine on NAVLE (or do they have a test file for that, too?).

BTW, if you look on the other thread about old exams, we are not the only school to hand down old tests.

obviously NOT a rumor and I am just simply telling you what was told to me by a student MENTOR. First hand from my Davis mentor. At my UC test files are not allowed and professors do go out of their way to prevent sharing of tests. I realize test files are at many schools but this way not presented to me in a nonchalant way. As far as being "cracked down on" I was also told by the mentor that professors are starting to keep their tests because they don't necessarily agree with this. Maybe mentors should be screened better because clearly this was a selling point that this student felt was important to point out. AGAIN....my own personal experience.

 

[Savethewhales]

You made it sound like everyone just memorizes old exams and then aces every class, so I thought that I would clarify as that is not the case at all.

You can't say something like "I would rather fail my first year than cheat my way through it" and not expect Davis students to take offense. I am NOT cheating my way through vet school, and am offended that you would imply as much.

Sorry...I tried to state that I am not saying that everyone actually chooses to do this. Obviously Davis has a long history of stellar pass rates and so the grads are more than capable of passing on their own. Honest to god....this incident really did rub me the wrong way because it was something the mentor was very proud of. I was stoked to go to Davis and I thought I would fall in love with the school. Again....maybe mentors should be screened better because ultimately they are representing your school.

 

[primatevetjess]

This:

I would rather fail my first year than cheat my way through it and have to be a doctor on my own when I graduate.

is still inflammatory and offensive. You insinuated that all Davis vet students that utilize the test file are cheaters. But whatever, I just wanted to defend myself and my school (I have mad pride) and clarify the issue for others.

I'm going to close this window now and try to ignore the internet. I have a systemic pathology exam on Tuesday, and I have to get back to memorizing all of those old exams so I can cheat and get my 99%!

 

[moosenanny]

I am not saying that everyone actually chooses to do this.

It's not a choice - that's what you're not getting. It's not like we are handed exam keys on a silver platter and either choose to peak at them or not. Yes, we have all acknowledged that every once in a while old exams can be helpful . . . but if we all "chose" to use them as our sole source of study material, we'd still fail out of school. Many of our exams don't have any test file old questions on them at all!

 

[eventualeventer]

No one's hating you for saying that Davis people have test boxes, we're offended because you equated test boxes to CHEATING. It's hardly surprising that people's hackles get raised when you accuse them of something that in other contexts could get them kicked out of school/the profession.

I'm also not interested in what your undergrad does; as I pointed out above, other VET schools use test files or equivalents, does that make THEM cheaters too?

Tuwest, exactly what are you referring to that "does not happen"? Cheating? How is it cheating when everybody has access to equivalent materials, the professors know it is happening, and professors who are not comfortable having their tests handed down can simply opt out by not returning exams? Cheating implies some kind of unfair advantage from gaming the system. In this case, the system is designed to include the use of old tests and, as debated in the other thread, might even lead to HARDER exams (I can't say whether or not that is the case). Again, Davis grads are clearly learning what they need in order to pass board exams and go on and be successful practitioners/researchers/etc. I thought that was supposed to be the whole point of vet school, learning what you need to be a good vet, not some pissing match about whose exams are harder.

P.S. I am sitting in the picture because your m. piriformis is in the general butt region, leading to the association with sitting. That, and I'd probably trip and fall on my face trying to do a standing pirouette. Also, notice the puffin socks.

 

[tuwest2011]

No one's hating you for saying that Davis people have test boxes, we're offended because you equated test boxes to CHEATING. It's hardly surprising that people's hackles get raised when you accuse them of something that in other contexts could get them kicked out of school/the profession.

I'm also not interested in what your undergrad does; as I pointed out above, other VET schools use test files or equivalents, does that make THEM cheaters too?

Tuwest, exactly what are you referring to that "does not happen"? Cheating? How is it cheating when everybody has access to equivalent materials, the professors know it is happening, and professors who are not comfortable having their tests handed down can simply opt out by not returning exams? Cheating implies some kind of unfair advantage from gaming the system. In this case, the system is designed to include the use of old tests and, as debated in the other thread, might even lead to HARDER exams (I can't say whether or not that is the case). Again, Davis grads are clearly learning what they need in order to pass board exams and go on and be successful practitioners/researchers/etc. I thought that was supposed to be the whole point of vet school, learning what you need to be a good vet, not some pissing match about whose exams are harder.

P.S. I am sitting in the picture because your m. piriformis is in the general butt region, leading to the association with sitting. That, and I'd probably trip and fall on my face trying to do a standing pirouette. Also, notice the puffin socks.

Honestly I could care less that Davis has a test box. I was just saying we dont have one at Western which raises the students anxiety level because the realm of question are unknown. I respect a health debate and I encourage our sDners to continue the discussion because who knows we may be in practice together one day. Honestly I will continue to weigh the 2 programs for the entertainment of the thread😎

 

[nyanko]

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[Savethewhales]

It's not a choice - that's what you're not getting. It's not like we are handed exam keys on a silver platter and either choose to peak at them or not. Yes, we have all acknowledged that every once in a while old exams can be helpful . . . but if we all "chose" to use them as our sole source of study material, we'd still fail out of school. Many of our exams don't have any test file old questions on them at all!

I get what you are saying moosenanny....BUT please understand...it was presented to me by my student mentor and the person I felt was chosen to represent Davis in a way much different then you guys are portaying it. It was presented that it was sort of known but professors are changing what they do because they dont like it and it was a hush hush student thing. I had a few hours to get an impression of the school and my mentor was not really into it. Perhaps next year you guys should consider being mentors so you can share what you love about the school. All I got to experience was the representative presented to me by the school.

 

[nyanko]

.

 

[tuwest2011]

I get what you are saying moosenanny....BUT please understand...it was presented to me by my student mentor and the person I felt was chosen to represent Davis in a way much different then you guys are portaying it. It was presented that it was sort of known but professors are changing what they do because they dont like it and it was a hush hush student thing. I had a few hours to get an impression of the school and my mentor really didn't have much good to say about it. Perhaps next year you guys should consider being mentors so you can share what you love about the school. Unfortunately for me I didnt get that. I was told about the negative things and the test box and how I wasnt going to get to see the library cause it sucks and no one uses it. NOT what I expected to experience.

I defend how my clasmate presented her discussion,because it was very assertive. Just like in practice or PBL when you disagree with someone or the plan of action let it be known. We can not please everyone ,and I do understand that she may have seemed inflamed this is what pratice will be like when were passionate about caring for our patients . Especially when you have vets from different schools and different techiniques ie curriculum. so lets agree to disagree and understand that we all will be vets who stand up for the the cause in vet med whatever that maybe !

 

[nyanko]

I defend how my clasmate presented her discussion,because it was very assertive. Just like in practice or PBL when you disagree with someone or the plan of action let it be known. We can not please everyone ,and I do understand that she may have seemed inflamed this is what pratice will be like when were passionate about caring for our patients . Especially when you have vets from different schools and different techiniques ie curriculum. so lets agree to disagree and understand that we all will be vets who stand up for the the cause in vet med whatever that maybe !

I don't think any person responds well to being outright insulted and called a cheater. Not a good tactic for practice, PBL or anything IMO..

 

[tuwest2011]

I don't think any person responds well to being outright insulted and called a cheater. Not a good tactic for practice, PBL or anything IMO..

She did not call anyone a cheater she just mentioned how the process seemed to her and how the method was not fitting for her idea of learning. See how nice that came out lol

 

[nyanko]

.

 

[Savethewhales]

Pretty sure that all of us from 2014 posting here (aside from eventualeventer, who will join the class of 2015) were student interview hosts. And jjohnston has definitely been around and answered a lot of questions too!

Maybe you should have not taken one person's experiences and rhetoric as gospel. That won't do you well in an investigative sense, either. I personally use the library all the time - the study rooms are super useful. Everyone's experience is different and it's what you make of it.

I agree and I did get to talk to others. In fact I have pm'ed you, moosenanny and jjohnston. In this instance (the actual schoool visit) the 2nd year I spoke to was also less than enthusiastic about talking about the school. I did see you Nyanko and was hoping to ask you some questions but you were heading somewhere fast and I wasnt able to catch up. You know...maybe just my roll of the dice and thats how it was meant to be for me. I realize how the initial response from me was stated and it should have been better thought out and I do apologize. I was trying to make a point about the 25% statement being ridiculous for any school. Not a good choice of words or argument on my part. BUT...I do hope in the future that other people have better mentor experiences than I had :/

 

[tuwest2011]

Why don't you let her speak for herself? She was all too eager to do so before...

Because thats how PBL works we help each other in time of need ! Lol see the experience where getting over hear @ Western lol

 

[Minnerbelle]

I defend how my clasmate presented her discussion,because it was very assertive. Just like in practice or PBL when you disagree with someone or the plan of action let it be known. We can not please everyone ,and I do understand that she may have seemed inflamed this is what pratice will be like when were passionate about caring for our patients . Especially when you have vets from different schools and different techiniques ie curriculum. so lets agree to disagree and understand that we all will be vets who stand up for the the cause in vet med whatever that maybe !

You can't really say something that offends a whole group of others, and cough it up to being assertive and passionate... that won't bode well in any situation. There are ways to be assertive and passionate without being offensive. I think the offensive part is what people are having issues with.

 

[quantized]

Becaiuse thats how PBL works we help each other in time of need ! Lol see the expereince where getting over hear @ Western lol

Your English hurts my brain.

 

[tuwest2011]

Your English hurts my brain.

See these are the very things that i feel are uncalled for I was typing fast and made a few errors so what! I am going to veteirnary school and that post wont change that so lighten up ! I am very excited that CSU PVM has joined the post we welcome you to all the enlightenment ! GOD forbid I dont use spell check !🙄

 

[tuwest2011]

I have to be honest it seems like Davis SVM is just taking very key components from Westerns program and trying not to give credit. I saw the video link and I felt like it was a form of copying with the intent to discredit the latest veterinary program using the method. In addition not once did she give credit to Westerns system for being innovative and remarkable in veterinary education which to me seemed like a snub !