IV--Admission Information

Veterinary Medicine

For applicants to the Pre-Veterinary Year (until spring 1998), a minimum of two full-time semesters or [5.00] credits, including:

• Biological Science - [1.00] credit (2 semester courses)
• Chemistry - [1.00] credit (2 semester courses)
• Physics - [0.50] credit (1 semester course)
• Calculus or Statistics with a (university-level) calculus prerequisite - [0.50] credit (1 semester course)
• Arts or Social Sciences - [1.00] credit (2 semester courses)
• Electives - [1.00] credit (2 semester courses)

For applicants directly to the D.V.M. Program (after discontinuation of the Pre-Veterinary Year, beginning in 2000), a minimum of four full-time semesters ([10.00] credits), including:

• Biological Sciences - [1.50] credits (3 semester courses) (with recommended emphasis on animal biology; one must be a Cell Biology)
• Genetics - [0.50] credit (1 semester course)
• Biochemistry - [0.50] credit (1 semester course)
• Statistics - [0.50] credit (1 semester course) (with a university-level calculus prerequisite)
• Humanities or Social Sciences - [1.00] credit* (2 semester courses)

*Students entering the D.V.M. program should be able to operate across discipline boundaries recognizing the relevance of the humanities and the social sciences to their career choice. In selecting these courses from among those acceptable, the prospective veterinary student should consider topics such as ethics, logic, critical thinking, determinants of human behaviour and human social interaction.

All courses must be at the university level. Applicants should contact Admission Services, Office of Registrarial Services, for a list of acceptable courses and subject areas and for advice on recommended course selection for preparation in MCAT. Courses need not be completed in a specialized college or faculty or in a designated Pre-Veterinary program. Students wishing to undertake their preparatory work at the University of Guelph should seek admission to the B.Sc. or the B. Sc.(Agr.) programs. Students who wish to undertake their preparatory work at another university should select an institution that offers the specific course requirements listed above as part of a degree program and that has rigorous entrance requirements and a reputation for academic quality.

Applications will also be considered from persons who have successfully completed at least three full-time semesters in a graduate program. Persons who qualify must indicate their desire to be considered in the graduate student cohort. Their applications will then be removed from the undergraduate applicant pool and considered separately. Selection for interviews will be made on the basis of academic achievement and evaluation of a Background Information Form, referee assessments, and letters of reference from persons familiar with the applicant's performance as a graduate student. Final selection will be based on this information and assessment interview. A maximum of five students may be selected from this cohort each year.

Since the number of students who satisfy the specific course requirements exceeds the number of available spaces in the D.V.M. Program, the Admissions Sub-Committee may use the following criteria to determine those who will be admitted. The members of the Sub-Committee endeavour to select those well-qualified applicants who, in their judgement, will be best able to successfully complete the veterinary medicine curriculum and who exhibit potential to become competent, responsible veterinarians dedicated to a lifetime of productive public service and continued learning. Students should pay attention to the selection criteria and attributes required for entry into the D.V.M. Program and use this information to guide them in preparation for application.

1. Academic Achievement and Aptitude

   In view of the need to efficiently and quickly learn large amounts of factual material and to solve problems, applicants must have demonstrated achievement in the comprehension of scientific material. This will be evaluated by the scrutiny of transcripts and previous academic records. Attention will be paid to both the quality and consistency of grades in the program presented as preparation for admission, particularly for those students who have spent more than the minimal time in preparation. Course selections in an applicant's last two full-time semesters will be reviewed for academic coherence. For the purpose of D.V.M. admissions, a full-time semester will include at least 5 courses ([2.50] credits] from the acceptable list. It is expected that the level of an applicant's courses will correspond to the semester level (year) of his or her program. An applicant who is not following a prescribed program of study may be required to submit an explanation of his or her course selections.

2. Medical College Admissions Test

   The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) will be used for selection beginning in 2000. Students are encouraged to contact Admission Services, Office of Registrarial Services for further information regarding course selection in preparation for the MCAT. The Test may be taken in April or August of each year, however students wishing to take the MCAT in the same year of intended admission to the D.V.M. Program must take it in April. For more information on the MCAT, prospective applicants should contact the MCAT Program Office, P.O. Box 4056 Iowa City, Iowa, USA. 52243-4056, tel. (319) 337-1357.

   A complete description of the MCAT is contained in the MCAT student manual available from the Association of American Medical Colleges, Dept. 66, Washington, D.C. USA, 20055, tel. (202) 828-0416. The manual presents: areas in science and specific skills to be assessed by the test; the mathematical concepts required; general suggestions for preparing for and taking the test; a full-length practice test. Your preparation for the MCAT should begin with a careful reading of the student manual. Note that science topics covered on the test include basic principles and concepts in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics.

3. Background Information and Referees' Assessments

   Successful candidates should have integrity, reliability, maturity and determination. It is important that professionals have excellent communication and leadership skills, and that they have a talent for effectively working with others. To assist in identification of students who possess these and other attributes, applicants must complete a Background Information Form, in which they will describe their academic program, work experience and extra-curricular activities. In addition, applicants will be asked to write a short essay about why they wish to study veterinary medicine. Confidential referee reports will be required from three persons qualified to give unbiased, informed, critical assessments of the applicant.

4. Interviews

   Applicants may be invited to an interview. Interviews conducted under carefully regulated conditions can give candidates an opportunity to display their ability to communicate effectively and give the interviewers an opportunity to assess student's attitudes and attributes applicable to veterinary medicine. Applicants should be prepared to elaborate on statements made in the Background Information Form, to discuss their reasons for choosing veterinary medicine as a career, and to describe what they have done to affirm their career choice and to prepare themselves for admission. They should be prepared to discuss issues pertaining to husbandry, care and welfare of a variety of animal species. Applicants may be asked to describe the duties and responsibilities of veterinarians and the scope of veterinary medicine. All interviews are held at the University of Guelph (no exceptions can be made).

Additional Attributes required for entry into the D.V.M. Program

Applicants should be aware that a number of attributes are required for admission to the Program. In addition to those already identified above under Selection Criteria (e.g. academic achievement, academic aptitude, integrity) a number of others, some of which relate to certain University of Guelph Learning Objectives, have been identified. These are presented here to assist prospective candidates in preparing themselves for admission.

1. Literacy and Numeracy

   Literacy and numeracy are the bases on which all knowledge is founded. The abilities to read, write, and calculate are fundamental intellectual tools. Students entering the D.V.M. program will be able to demonstrate literacy skills at least to the basic level as described under Literacy in the University of Guelph Learning Objectives. They will be able to assimilate and comprehend written language at a basic level, to summarize information in a coherent manner, and use appropriate language in context. Successful applicants must be able to devise a topic or concept for discussion, frame its bounds and communicate its content.

   Students entering the D.V.M. Program will understand the value and principles of describing situations in numeric terms. They will be able to assimilate and comprehend numeric data and use appropriate tools to manage such information. They must be able to use skills of numeracy to check validity of information, to use and correctly interpret appropriate statistics to describe the distribution of observations in individuals and populations, and be able to perform basic tests of hypotheses (t-test, chi-square and simple regression) and interpret these correctly.

2. Communication Skills

   Communication is the process of interacting with others respectfully and involves an exchange of information, feelings and values. It includes intrapersonal communication (self-understanding, self-evaluation, and reasoning) and interpersonal communication (interaction with others, relationship and self-disclosure). Through interpersonal communication, relationships are started, maintained, or destroyed. Good communication involves an understanding of self-awareness, of self-esteem, of feelings and emotions, the development of listening skills and the willingness to disclose oneself truthfully and freely. Good communication also requires an understanding of principles of language and verbal interaction, principles of non-verbal communication, and of interpersonal communication and relationships (relationship development and deterioration, improvement of interpersonal communication, conflict management, interviewing skills etc.)

   Students entering the D.V.M. Program will be able to : listen respectfully and comprehend appreciatively; practice the elements of good interpersonal communication successfully; demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively; and communicate effectively by oral, written, and electronic means at the basic level of literacy. Successful applicants will be able to recognize the non-verbal aspects of communication by considering feelings, emotions, and values as elements of communication.

3. Judgement

   Students entering the D.V.M. Program will be able to use knowledge, observational and analytical skills, with due consideration of value systems, to evaluate and implement decisions. They will be able to identify and articulate their personal value system; identify ethics and standards of conduct; and identify the values and assumptions that may be operative in various contexts. They must be able to identify, critically evaluate and accept the implications and consequences of decisions, to re-evaluate decisions based on new information, and deal effectively with uncertainty. They will be able to accept that self-assessment of ethics and standards of conduct is a professional responsibility, and accept that others may have different values and assumptions and respect those differences.

4. On-Going Curiosity (self-initiated learning)

   Students entering the D.V.M. Program must be able to use self-initiated learning to maintain and enhance depth and breadth of understanding. They must recognize limitations of their knowledge, skills and attitudes, identify sources of ongoing learning opportunities, and demonstrate a commitment to on-going learning and self-evaluation.

5. Understanding of The Profession

   Students entering the D.V.M. Program will be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the profession, its dimensions and the industries it serves to permit the student to make and defend his or her career of choice. Normally, this would require the candidate to spend time with a veterinarian, preferably in both clinical practice and non-clinical practice situations. They should gain hands-on experience with a range of species and animal industries. There is an expectation that candidates would be able to describe for each species or animal industry experience, the role of the veterinary, production and breeding systems, general features of housing and feeding, productivity measures and norms, marketing system, animal behaviour relevant to restraint, feeding, and reproduction, and emerging trends and issues in the industry.

6. Forms of Inquiry

   Students entering the D.V.M. Program will be able to identify and articulate the strengths and weaknesses, similarities and differences of various forms of inquiry (i.e. those used by the physical scientist, the biological scientist, the social scientist and the scholar of humanities). They will be able to describe and apply the scientific method, and articulate and evaluate personal problem-solving processes.

7. Technical Skills

   Students entering the D.V.M. Program must have observation and motor skills which necessitate the functional use of all senses. Applicants must declare disabilities which might interfere with observation and motor skills and their ability to elicit information by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other diagnostics manoeuvres, procedures, or perform general and emergency care of patients.

Application Procedure

Application forms are available upon request from Admission Services, Office of Registrarial Services, Level 3, University Centre, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1.

For those applying to the Pre-Veterinary Year in 1998, application forms must be received no later than February 1, 1998. The admission procedure will be conducted through the late spring and summer months of that year and successful candidates will then register for the Pre-Veterinary Year that will proceed through the Fall 1998 and Winter 1999 semesters. Academic transcripts and other supporting documents must be received no later than June 15, 1998. Prospective candidates may be expected to provide other documents such as Background Information Forms and referee assessments as the admissions process continues.

Live animals may be used for teaching purposes in some courses in the Veterinary Program, and this must be accepted by students admitted to the program. All animals are protected by the Animals for Research Act of Ontario (1980), the Guidelines for the Care and Use of Experimental Animals (Canadian Council on Animal Care), and the Animal Care Policies of the University of Guelph.

1998-99 Undergraduate Calendar IV--Admission Information