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Vocational Service
For students interested in Veterinary Technician
careers go here: http://www.nysavt.org/index.htm
Information
for High School Students
Summer Programs for High School Students
Is veterinary medicine right for me?
What courses should I take in high school
Is experience important?
When can I enter veterinary college?
How do I choose an undergraduate college?
What should I study at college?
What college courses are required?
When can I apply to veterinary college?
How does Cornell evaluate DVM applications?
May I visit the Cornell College of Veterinary
Medicine?
Summer Program for Minority High
School Students?
Are you a minority high school student who is interested in a career
in Veterinary Medicine or Biomedical Research? Are you in your junior or
senior year? Do you rank in the upper third of your class? If so, you
might want to consider applying to the Research Apprenticeship Program for
Minority Students (RAP) offered by the College of Veterinary Medicine at
Cornell.
RAP is a six-week summer program that allows you to work closely with a
Veterinary faculty mentor on a health-related research project. In
addition you will have the opportunity to learn about the diverse field of
veterinary medicine through an explorations seminar which will address
topics such as animal behavior, dentistry, zoo animal medicine and
veterinary pathology.
Since you would be living on campus with other high school students
attending summer college, you will also have the opportunity to
participate in a number of other recreational and educational activities
during the evenings or on weekends. Housing and dining are provided by the
program; however the cost of travel to and from Cornell would be your
responsibility.
Hurry, applications must be postmarked by March 21, 2003. You will be
notified by May 1st. The program runs from June 21 - August 2, 2003.
Application forms
RAP
application
RAP
checklist
RAP
recommendation form
Is veterinary medicine right for me?
Students interested in veterinary medicine should have an interest in
animals, science, learning & academics. Additionally, it is
recommended students take their studies seriously. Veterinary college is
an intense program with thousands of college students applying to only 27
veterinary colleges in the country.
What courses should I take in
high school?
Take all college preparatory courses in all major subjects especially,
biology, chemistry, physics, calculus, trigonometry, statistics,
environmental/earth science and English. Also important are computer
science, history and languages. Take all at the highest level your high
school offers. New York State students should earn a NYS Regents Diploma.
Is veterinary experience
important?
Yes, students should start at an early age working or volunteering for a
veterinarian, zoo or local animal shelter. Try to work with many animal
species and not just cats and dogs. Keep track of the hours of experience
you gain, and ask each supervisor for a letter of recommendation. When you
apply to veterinary college, you will need letters of recommendation from
each experience you list on your application.
When can I enter veterinary college?
Veterinary college comes after a general undergraduate four-year
college program. Veterinary college is also a four-year program, so most
veterinarians graduate with eight years of college education.
How do I choose an undergraduate
college?
Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions you will
ever make. Take your time and research your choices. Use a college guide
and apply to the most competitive colleges into which you believe you can
gain acceptance. Do not choose your college based on its athletic
competitions or its social atmosphere if you want to go to veterinary
college.
Four years later, when you apply to veterinary college, we
will assign points to the college you attended and compare your college to
the colleges of other applicants. Cornell tends to take its students from
the most competitive colleges. We measure the competitiveness of a college
based on "Peterson's Guide to Four Year Colleges" ranking
system.
What should I study at college?
Any major is acceptable, so choose one you enjoy - but your major must
allow you to take many science courses during your college program. Most
veterinary colleges require 10 to 12 college science courses.
What college courses are
required?
We require or recommend a full year of these courses:
1st Year
English composition
biology (or zoology)
general chemistry
2nd Year
organic chemistry
general physics
calculus (recommended)
3rd Year
biochemistry (half-year)
microbiology (half-year)
a short GRE preparation seminar (recommended)
Since we require three chemistry courses, it is important
to begin chemistry in your first year of college. So take every chemistry
course your high school offers to be well prepared for college chemistry.
All science courses should include labs.
When may I apply to veterinary
college?
Highly qualified students may apply in the spring of their second year
of college for early admission to the DVM program after the completion of
their third year of college. Candidates for early admission must have
grades of "B" or better in all prerequisite courses.
Students who do not choose to apply early may apply by
October 1 of their third or fourth year of college and are notified of
acceptance or denial in February.
How does Cornell evaluate DVM
applications?
Veterinary medical education requires strong academic abilities; 65
percent of the total admissions evaluation is given for academic
achievement and aptitude:
30 percent - college grade-point average
30 percent - Graduate Record Exam (verbal and quantitative scores only)
5 percent - quality of the academic program (a challenging curriculum and
a full courseload)
5 percent - personal essay
20 percent - experience working with animals and with the veterinary
profession
10 percent - all other achievements (community involvement; non-academic
interests, abilities; personal characteristics such as reliability,
honesty and dedication to service).
May I visit the Cornell College of
Veterinary Medicine?
The college hosts an open house for the community on a Saturday in
April. Open House is scheduled for April 5, 2003 from 10am-4pm.
Do you have an Email Address?
If you have an email address, we would like to know it. We
send "The Pre-Veterinary Newsletter from Cornell" every two
months via email. The newsletter is written to help students prepare for
the highly selective admissions process and the profession.
You may read past issues of our newsletter at www.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/newsletters.htm.
You may also sign up to receive our newsletter at www.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/inquiry.htm
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