Admissions Newsletter of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

In the recent past, NY applicants to Cornell were required to complete Cornell's direct application and non-NY applicants had the option of applying through VMCAS or directly to Cornell. Since most applicants will apply to at least one VMCAS participating school, we simplified our process. Now all applicants must apply to Cornell through VMCAS. We have also shortened the Cornell Supplemental Application. Again, it is important to begin gathering documents. Some instructions on gathering documents are provided here and at our web site.

Letters of Evaluation gathered in sealed envelopes sent to your home from every animal or veterinary experience you list on your Cornell Supplemental Application. If you have an experience but do not have a letter of evaluation, we ask you not to list the experience on our supplemental application. There is no limit on the number of evaluations you may submit to Cornell. You must submit 3 evaluations (we recommend your 3 best evaluations) to VMCAS. VMCAS will forward these evaluations to Cornell. If VMCAS does not receive 3 letters, your VMCAS application may never reach Cornell. Electronic Letters of Recommendation (eLOR) are also acceptable at VMCAS. Cornell will accept eLOR's only from VMCAS; eLOR's cannot be sent directly to Cornell from your evaluator(s). If you are a re-applicant, VMCAS will not accept letters on file at Cornell. Cornell will use letters you previously submitted upon your request. Again, VMCAS must receive 3 letters.

Academic Letter of Evaluation from an academic advisor, faculty mentor, pre-health advisor or a professor knowing your academic abilities. Committee letters are welcomed. This letter may be one of the three you send to VMCAS or it may be included with your Cornell Supplemental Application.

Official transcripts gathered in sealed envelopes sent to your home from every college and university you attended. You may use the VMCAS or Cornell's generic Transcript Request Form. Check with your registrar(s) about the transcript release fee.

Veterinary School Test Requirements

If you are not sure which standardized tests are accepted at the 28 U.S. veterinary colleges, we have gathered information to help answer this frequently asked question. All U.S. veterinary colleges now accept the GRE (the VCAT has been discontinued), with the exception of the University of Missouri -- they accept only the MCAT. No school has a test administration deadline sooner than September 30; most schools have an October 1 deadline. There are two schools that require the GRE Biology Subject Test in addition to the GRE general test. They are the University of Georgia and Oklahoma State University.

Also, some schools accept either the GRE or the MCAT. These include:

Cornell University
Louisiana State University
Michigan State University
Ohio State University
Tuskegee University
Western University of Health Sciences

All of this information is current as of June 2004. It is a good idea to check with each school for more current information.

New Questions on Cornell's Supplemental Application

At a recent admissions committee meeting the Cornell faculty approved these new questions to be included on Cornell's Supplemental. We provide the questions here so that you may have time to think about and draft your responses.

"Please respond to each of the following questions in 200 words or less per question. These questions are intentionally opened-ended with no right or wrong answers so that you can provide the admissions committee with more information about yourself.

1: Describe a situation in which your actions have had a significant impact.
2: Describe a situation where you have learned from experience.
3: Describe a situation where circumstances were against you and how you made it work for you.
4a: Describe a challenge or problem you have faced in the past, and how you reached a solution.
4b: If you had to face this challenge again, would you do anything differently and why?"

Are You Starting College Soon? Wondering What Courses to Take?

Most veterinary colleges require a basic pre-med program, as does Cornell. Many veterinary colleges have requirements in addition to a pre-med program. Cornell has list of suggested courses in addition to our required courses posted at our web site http://www.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/recommendedcourses.htm Our requirements are listed below with a recommended sequence of full-year courses.

1st Year
English composition or literature
any biological science - usually introductory biology
general (inorganic) chemistry
2nd Year
organic chemistry
general physics
calculus or statistics (recommended)
3rd Year
biochemistry
microbiology (half-year)
a short GRE preparation seminar (recommended)

Since we require three years of chemistry, it is important to begin chemistry in your first year of college. All science courses should include labs. More information on our requirements are at http://www.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/prep.htm. If your college offers similar courses with course titles different than those listed above, you may want to be sure those courses would meet our requirements by visiting http://www.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/despreq.htm.

Cornell Veterinary Admissions Presentation Schedule - You Are Invited

Please come listen to a presentation by Cornell's Admissions Officer, who will be presenting in these cities on or near these dates. Please register at our web site https://secure.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/application/regform.asp.

For College and Adult Pre-Vets -- 2004
- July 16 1:15pm Ithaca, NY Cornell Veterinary Campus, 3pm tours, pre-register*
- Aug. 6 1:15pm Ithaca, NY Cornell Veterinary Campus, 3pm tours, pre-register*
- Sept.10 1:15pm Ithaca, NY Cornell Veterinary Campus, 3pm tours, pre-register*

Topics discussed during these college/adult student admissions presentations:
-DVM degree requirements in the U.S.
-DVM specialties, residencies, internships, and licensure
-Is Cornell's curriculum right for you?
-DVM admissions requirements at Cornell and nationwide
-How to Increase Your Chances of Admission to Veterinary College
-DVM national admissions statistics and Cornell statistics
-DVM financial aid and national salary statistics
-Questions and answers

For Junior High and High School Pre-Vets -- 2004 Admissions Presentations
- July 16 3pm Ithaca, NY Cornell Veterinary Campus, 4pm tours, pre-register*
- Aug. 6 3pm Ithaca, NY Cornell Veterinary Campus, 4pm tours, pre-register*
- Sept.10 3pm Ithaca, NY Cornell Veterinary Campus, 4pm tours, pre-register*

Topics discussed during these High School level presentations include:
-Is Veterinary Medicine Right for You
-Veterinary Career Paths
-How to Prepare at the High School Level
-How to Choose a Good College
-How to Choose a College Major
-How to Increase Your Chances of Admission to Veterinary College
-How to Choose a Veterinary School
-Questions and Answers

*Pre-Register at https://secure.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/application/regform.asp.
Driving directions to Cornell are at http://www.vet.cornell.edu/hospital/appointment.htm.
Find Ithaca travel information at www.visitithaca.com.

Cornell's DVM Admissions Web Site

Past Newsletter Issues and Selected Articles

All Newsletters are archived at http://www.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/newsletters/issuearchive.htm.

March 2004
- Should I Take the GRE or MCAT?
- Two Common Mistakes with Letters of Evaluation

February 2004
- New U.S. Loan Forgiveness Program for Veterinary Graduates

December 2003
- Do Veterinarians Need to Specialize?
- Veterinary Specialty Boards Resource List
- National Veterinary Salary Statistics

September 2003
- A 7-year Stipend and Free Tuition in Our DVM/PhD Program

July 2003
- Your State Residency Affects Our Decision

June 2002
- Do Veterinarians Need to Specialize?

April 2002
- Preparing for the GRE May Make the Difference
- Are You Planning a Visit to Cornell's Veterinary Campus?

February 2002
- Web Site for Veterinary Career Information
- Most Common Advice Given to Denied Applicants

November 2001
- Is Study-Abroad Experience Valued by Admissions Committees?
- Wildlife Medicine at Cornell

August 2001
- Comparative DVM Salary Information
- Financial Aid at Cornell's Veterinary College
- A 7-year Stipend and Free Tuition in Our DVM/PhD Program

May 2001
- Am I Considered a NY Resident? Or NJ or NH Resident?
- May I Substitute Courses for Cornell's Pre-Requisites?

March 2001
- Animal and Veterinary Experience: Breadth or Depth?
- Should I Go to Graduate School Before Applying to Vet School?

October 2000
- 14 Tips on Letters of Evaluation for VMCAS/Cornell Applicants

May 2000
- Your State Residency Affects Our Decision

How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe to This Free Newsletter

Did you receive this newsletter from a friend or an advisor? You may sign-up for a free copy to come directly to you at https://secure.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/application/inquiry.asp. We send this free newsletter about every 2 months to all interested individuals via email only. If you do not have email but have access to the World Wide Web, visit our web site to view our newsletters.

Alumni -- if you subscribe individually you may receive two copies, one from DVM Admissions and one from our Alumni Office.

Advisors -- if you subscribe to the health professions advisors' list serve, you do not need to sign-up separately for this newsletter. We will forward each new edition to the list serve. Advisors who do not subscribe to that list serve are encouraged to subscribe directly to our newsletter.