Spring 2013

Welcome to the Pre-Vet Advisor, the AAVMC's e-bulletin for aspiring veterinarians and those who advise them. This issue is full of important stories related to veterinary medical education and veterinary careers. We hope that you can learn more about your prospective career and that you enjoy our visually refreshed format.

If you're interested in applying to veterinary medical school, don't forget to mark June 5 on your calendar.  That's when the Veterinary Medical Application Service (VMCAS) begins accepting applications for the 2014-2015 school year.

Plus, we hope that you'll help us out by letting us know who you are and what kinds of stories you would like to see in future e-bulletins. The short survey at the bottom of this e-bulletin will just take a moment to complete and will help us a great deal as we shape future issues.

At the AAVMC, we work hard to prepare the next generation of veterinarians to meet society's needs and we'd appreciate the valuable insight that you can provide on how we can best serve you.

The AAVMC's tagline is "The Future of Veterinary Medicine," and if your goal is to earn a DVM degree, that descriptor applies to you as well.

Best wishes for success in all of your future endeavors.

Dr. Andrew Maccabe

AAVMC Executive Director

The Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) begins accepting applications for the 2014-2015 school year on June 5. VMCAS recently introduced some changes for this coming cycle, including transcript verification, that will make the application process more efficient, effective, and media friendly. VMCAS encourages applicants to start the application process as early as possible.  The application asks for a significant amount of information and it can take several hours to complete, but you can always save your information and return to the application later.  The VMCAS page, which includes a link to the application, will serve as your hub of information during the application cycle, with a checklist and other important information, so check back frequently for updates. Learn more.

Not too long ago, there was a lot of talk about the need for more veterinarians in the U.S., particularly in certain practice areas. Now, a recent study from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), an association of practicing veterinarians, finds the existence of an "excess capacity" in  companion animal medicine and parity in other areas. But what does "excess capacity" mean and what effect, if any, should this have on your career plans?
The AAVMC wants to help you sort it all out. Learn more.

• Twelve percent of first year DVM students started vet school without completing their BA/BS studies.
• Seven percent of first year DVM students have advanced degrees.
• On average, for admitted students, GRE verbal scores fall in the 60th percentile; GRE quantitative scores fall in the 52nd percentile.
• Applicants who start their VMCAS application but do not complete it typically have low confidence about their preparation for vet school.  This group very often fails to visit their pre-vet/pre-health advisor in advance of attempting the application.
• Of last year's applicants, 54.9% say they first became interested in veterinary medicine before the age of 10. Male applicants were more likely to become interested between the ages of 11-25.

We want to know who you are so that this e-bulletin can better serve you. This
survey will just take a moment to complete, so please help us out. Take the short survey now.