What's WICHE?

[bee83]

Being from the midwest, I didn't think I would ever have to know what WICHE really was. However, I may be looking at a possible move over the summer to Colorado. (!!) So, now I'm interested in this WICHE thing. Do Colorado residents qualify? Can anyone tell me exactly what it is in a few simple sentences? I went to the WICHE website, but I couldn't get a really good idea of what it's all about or what the benefits are. I'd really love to end up at Oregon State, so if it will help me get there then even better!

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[ckd816]

You won't be eligible for the program as a CO resident. You have to be a resident of either AZ, HI, MT, NV, NM, ND, UT or WY. Here's a link in case you're still interested: http://www.wiche.edu/psep/vetmed

Basically how it works is that if you are a resident of one of those states, you can apply for sponsorship through your state. You would end up paying in state tuition and your state would pay the difference of OOS and IS tuition on your behalf if you agree to return to your state upon completion of your program. You either work in the state that sponsored you for however many years they helped pay your way (probably 4) or pay the money back to the state like a loan.

Essentially, it's for states without a vet school hoping to educate their residents yet get them to return for work.

 

[twelvetigers]

Also, and this is terribly irrelevant but something I was surprised to learn... if you are pronouncing it (like VMCAS is 'VIM-cass'), it's 'witchy' and not 'weesh' or something like that.

 

[bee83]

Ah, bummer.
Also, thanks TT, I had been wondering how to pronounce it I'd been saying "Wicky"

 

[squirrelsrule]

Why not apply to Colorado's vet school if you are moving there? Looks like there are only 60 credit hours required . No O. Chem required? Or many of the other prerecs. required at other schools? Seems weird to me.

I think you need to come to Ohio and go to OSU .

 

[squeegee]

Why not apply to Colorado's vet school if you are moving there? Looks like there are only 60 credit hours required . No O. Chem required? Or many of the other prerecs. required at other schools? Seems weird to me.

i think they still want the same prerequisites as the other schools, they just have an odd way of wording it. they state the biochem must have orgo as a prerequisite (which usually has gen chem as its own prerequisite), and typically undergraduate schools require at least a year of introductory biology before you can take upper levels like genetics. so i think they assume you are taking lower level biology/chemistry courses to get to those upper levels and just don't go separately listing them all.

 

[bee83]

Why not apply to Colorado's vet school if you are moving there? Looks like there are only 60 credit hours required . No O. Chem required? Or many of the other prerecs. required at other schools? Seems weird to me.

I think you need to come to Ohio and go to OSU .

I will definitely be applying to Colorado if I end up moving there. But SOOO many people apply to Colorado, and my application isn't exactly the most competitive.
It would be fun to go to OSU with all the cool kids

 

[eringobraugh]

I will definitely be applying to Colorado if I end up moving there. But SOOO many people apply to Colorado, and my application isn't exactly the most competitive.
It would be fun to go to OSU with all the cool kids

I don't know if this matters to your decision to apply to CSU but you have to live here a year prior to SUBMITTING your application (not a year before you would actually start school) to be considered a resident. From what I hear though, it's not that easy to establish residency and moving here to be considered an IS is seriously frowned upon. Sorry to be a debbie downer .

... if you agree to return to your state upon completion of your program. You either work in the state that sponsored you for however many years they helped pay your way (probably 4) or pay the money back to the state like a loan.

This is true for some WICHE states but not all. Technically, Utah residents are not required to pay back the money or practice in UT after graduation. They feel you have a "moral obligation" so it's pretty much up to you. For most of the WICHE states you have to live there 5+ years before applying to the program. I think NM even requires high school transcripts for acceptance to their program.

 

[bee83]

I don't know if this matters to your decision to apply to CSU but you have to live here a year prior to SUBMITTING your application (not a year before you would actually start school) to be considered a resident. From what I hear though, it's not that easy to establish residency and moving here to be considered an IS is seriously frowned upon. Sorry to be a debbie downer ..

Yeah, I'm certainly aware of that. If I moved over the summer I would definitely put vet school plans on hold for at least a year to get settled in. And I'm certainly not moving there to get IS status, so that shouldn't be a problem anyway.

 

[Zany Tiger]

This is true for some WICHE states but not all. Technically, Utah residents are not required to pay back the money or practice in UT after graduation. They feel you have a "moral obligation" so it's pretty much up to you. For most of the WICHE states you have to live there 5+ years before applying to the program. I think NM even requires high school transcripts for acceptance to their program.

Whoa your HS transcripts really? I know here in Arizona you are obligated to provide 4 years of professional service to pay the difference back I believe. Or pay half the difference out of pocket. Which isn't all that bad to save a decent amount of cash.

 

[Chill1818]

I'm a WICHE student from Nevada and they have a very simple straight forward application. I've only been a resident there for 3 years and didn't have to provide transcipts (fairly certain of this), but their repayment is a bit rough (4 years of service + 25% of the loan they give me). Not the best WICHE program for students, but in the end it will save me around 80 grand, so I'm ok with that

 

[Zany Tiger]

I'm a WICHE student from Nevada and they have a very simple straight forward application. I've only been a resident there for 3 years and didn't have to provide transcipts (fairly certain of this), but their repayment is a bit rough (4 years of service + 25% of the loan they give me). Not the best WICHE program for students, but in the end it will save me around 80 grand, so I'm ok with that

Was it difficult to get into the program? I've heard stories of only 1 or 2 students per year here in AZ getting into that program. Kinda scary . Hopefully those stories are just stories and not reality.

 

[DVMDream]

Ah, bummer.
Also, thanks TT, I had been wondering how to pronounce it I'd been saying "Wicky"

When has "ch" ever made a "ck" sound? .....

 

[Chill1818]

Was it difficult to get into the program? I've heard stories of only 1 or 2 students per year here in AZ getting into that program. Kinda scary . Hopefully those stories are just stories and not reality.

No, it was really straight forward in NV and for some reason it never occurred to me I may not get funding, which may have just been due to my lack of knowledge of the program. I have definitely heard there is no guarantee and actually have a friend from AZ who received funding, then with budget cuts lost it and is now paying full OOS tuition. I would say to make sure you get the right info, contact your state's WICHE office.

 

[DVMDream]

No, it was really straight forward in NV and for some reason it never occurred to me I may not get funding, which may have just been due to my lack of knowledge of the program. I have definitely heard there is no guarantee and actually have a friend from AZ who received funding, then with budget cuts lost it and is now paying full OOS tuition. I would say to make sure you get the right info, contact your state's WICHE office.

Due to massive budget cuts in AZ, there are very few people who receive funding. The funding available is also available to those who apply for dental, physical therapy, DO, optometry, etc, etc. We have to share those funds with multiple people. I was told by one of the vet schools that an AZ resident applying through WICHE has to be AMAZING to get in; high GPA, high GRE, and decent experiences. I was told that my ~3.5 GPA would not cut it and that I would have to do a master's and get near a 4.0 to even be competitive to be accepted through WICHE, and just being accepted through WICHE in AZ does not necessarily mean that the state will be able to support you. That is why I did not even bother to apply through WICHE this year. If you choose to apply through WICHE as an AZ resident, good luck, in think funding has been decreasing every year.

 

[eringobraugh]

Was it difficult to get into the program? I've heard stories of only 1 or 2 students per year here in AZ getting into that program. Kinda scary . Hopefully those stories are just stories and not reality.

Really? There are like 10 WICHE people from AZ in our class...5-7 or so from NM and then a handful of us from the other states.

 

[squeegee]

if anyone's really interested in the WICHE state breakdown of applicants and admitted students at CSU here you go:

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/ns/students/future_students/dvm_statistics.aspx

 

[eringobraugh]

Ok my bad. I guess there are a lot of non-sponsored AZ ppl in our class. There are a lot more from wyoming than I thought though...

 

[Robdude]

WICHE see is WICHE get.

Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

 

[bee83]

When has "ch" ever made a "ck" sound? .....

Ichthyosis

 

[NStarz]

Ichthyosis

Oh snap!

 

[Minnerbelle]

Ichthyosis

haha, yeah, and almost every other word in biology/vet med.

echinoderm
choanae
chondro-
echo-
-chyme
chyle
chromo-

just to name a few...

But as for WICHE, I don't think it's worth it unless you already come from that state or definitely have to move to that state anyway AND can't apply for a few years down anyway.

For one thing the state you come from matters greatly. erongobraugh's been burned by Utah big time. apparently last year there was 0 funding from utah, so anyone applying from there got screwed. this year she's the only one (at least at CSU), and she is amazing. having just a few amazing students applying WICHE in states that only fund a few students means no one else even had a shot.

And second of all, if you can't apply for 3-4 years, think about the potential doctor salary that you're missing out on (3-4 years of opportunity cost), AND the difference in tuition today vs. 3-4 years down the line. Only exception to that would be if you're earning a high enough salary now that negates that differential.

 

[eringobraugh]

Aw thanks Minner. Wolfpack pride!

 

[Minnerbelle]

...and moving here to be considered an IS is seriously frowned upon. Sorry to be a debbie downer

gasp ... can't breathe... gasp

Well that's a lose-lose situation, cause like apparently OOS students are milking the taxpayers of CO as well
(esp those from east of the mississippi)

 

[DVMDream]

Ichthyosis

haha, yeah, and almost every other word in biology/vet med.

echinoderm
choanae
chondro-
echo-
-chyme
chyle
chromo-

just to name a few...

Apparently, I forgot about biology words... (that is what happens when you have been out of school for almost a year.)