Studying in Canada

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Aida

Aida

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
2,323
Location
Florida
Hey guys.

It's that time in my life to be stressing over college- woohoo. :help2:

I'm sure about two things:
-I want to study veterinary medicine(I'm also considering botany, holistic medicine, lots of the bio-med options, but leaning towards vet)
-I want to study overseas.

I'm in the US now, in Florida, so it would be a giant transition to move to Canada, but studying overseas is something I want to do for several reasons. I have lived in Europe and in the US back and forth through out most of my life, and my sister is studying in the UK, so it is definitely an option for me that isn't too far fetched.

The main reason is that it is so much faster, at least in the UK, or in Australia. In the US you first get a bachelor's in some form of biology or chemistry, and THEN you go to vet school, It takes around 8-10 years, yikes.
In the UK however, you go straight to vet school without the bachelor's. It takes about 5 years on a normal program, 4 years on a rushed and 6 years on a long, to get your full veterinary license and doctorate, with surgical licenses and everything. It is so much faster, and honestly not much more expensive than studying out of state. And I mean not much more expensive per semester, cutting the study time IN HALF is obviously a cash saver if I've ever seen one.
The uni where my sister is studying russian and english has a good vet program, so I imagine we would move in together and save cash that way, too.

Anyways, all that to say, I need to broaden my choices as much as possible because I do realize that vet school is insanely hard to get in to and the dream of thousands of little girls who love animals. From my understanding, in Canada one first gets a pre-vet two-year degree, and then moves on to vet school, and it takes about 6 years. That is just what I read on a couple websites, and some of the details were very confusing.

Can any Canada-natives explain how university in Canada works? How difficult is it to get a residency or citizenship for studying? What about loans? How expensive is uni in Canada, compared to the US or the UK?
I read that there are 5 veterinary schools in Canada, one of them being in Montreal, so that means 4 for me because I do NOT speak French except for my 3 years of high school french class(I can barely say where I went last weekend!). Are they all considered "good"?
I also read that an average of 400 veterinarians graduate from all 4 of these schools per year, which is scary as heck. Heeeeeeeeeelp! :cries:
 
It's about the same as in the US. You need a bachelor's and very high grades to go into vet school here. I can't compare how expensive it is but I do know it's expensive here. And no need to know French, it's only helpful if looking for a job in certain parts of the country.
 
jorats said:
It's about the same as in the US. You need a bachelor's and very high grades to go into vet school here. I can't compare how expensive it is but I do know it's expensive here. And no need to know French, it's only helpful if looking for a job in certain parts of the country.
Click to expand...
Oh, bummer, you do need the bachelor's first... :wallbang:
 
jorats said:
Ya and you are pretty much middle aged by the time you have your own practice.
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It is very frustrating. You can see why I am so anal on studying in the UK, then. 5yrs vs 10yrs heck yes.
The idea of finally busting out of 12 years+ of school only to go back for nearly that much more is not very encouraging.

Many will argue this, but I also do not see the point of studying in college here, where you go for a science degree, and still have to take a billion classes in humanities or electives. It just sounds downright ridiculous and like a way to scam people off their money. Of course those subjects are important, trust me, I love writing, reading, history. Already in elementary school I would spend recess with my nose in a novel. But I do not feel like dishing out thousands of dollars and years of schooling to take three courses of English while trying to get my BIOLOGY degree. :huh2:
 
My sister has her interview for vet school next week so I'm a bit familiar with the entry system for Guelph and for U of M.

First things first, the level of French required for U of M is said to be very high. So much so that a lot of francophones couldn't pass it without a fair amount of studying. It is a 5 year program but it's expected that you will have 2 years of CEGEP completed, which is the equivalent of one year of junior college or university in the US. (That's not to say one year of junior college will fulfill all the prerequisites required.)

For U of G, you need to take the MCATs and then go through an interview process. (Not a requirement at U of M.) While it is technically possible to get in with only 2 years of university completed, it's very difficult and not very many people do. U of G also requires clinic experience and 3 references, including 2 from veterinarians.

If you go overseas for your education, you have to consider that you will have to go through the licensing process in North America, possibly requiring you to go back to school. Sometimes there are a large number of professionals trying to get their qualifications and a limited number of spots so that's something you want to look into. Students in Canada and the US all write the NAVLE (North American Veterinary Licensing Exam) so I think it's fairly easy to move between districts and have your qualifications recognized.
 
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Victoria summed it up nicely. The University of Guelph is a gorgeous campus in a beautiful city but their vet college is crazy to get in to. I knew a couple people who were working on their master's while still trying to get in.

Guelph is also good because they don't fill their bachelors programs with "a billion classes in humanities or electives". I did my BSc. there and only took 2 non science or math courses and those were by choice.

You have a tough road ahead of you and I wish you the best of luck.
 
I'll also add, if you want to get any sort of decent exotic instruction and experience, U of G and U of M are the two you should consider. PEI is TINY (the province is smaller than the cities of Toronto or Montreal) and there just wouldn't be the clinical learning opportunities there there would be elsewhere. I don't know a lot about U of S except that they only have a handful of spots for students from outside the western provinces. U of C is, well, in Alberta, a province where rats are banned as pets. If you want any sort of clinical experience with rats (vs. lab experience) that is not the province to learn in, although culturally it's probably the closest to the US.

Cost for vet school in Canada is a lot cheaper than the US for Canadians. International students pay a much higher fee but it's my understanding it's still cheaper than the US, at least that was the case for undergrad when I went to school.

U of M is easier to get into than U of G but your French has to be excellent. Generally speaking, it's easier to get into school to be a physician than vet in Canada.

There is a reality show (in French) shot at the hospital at the vet faculty in Montreal, if you're interested: http://video.tv5.ca/hopital-veterinaire-2/sheltone-le-chat-pompon-la-lapine-hefty-pong-la-genisse (Hopefully it works in the US.) The first and second seasons are available on demand until July 1st.
 
Wow, thanks victoria!
Like I said, my French doesn't even really count, I know nothing... ha.
As for all that information you posted, it is very helpful. I imagined it is extremely hard to get in, it is almost easier to become a physician, like you said, in the US and in the UK too. I'm trying my best and this summer I will know if I met the entry requirements for Nottingham or not.

Darn, I was hoping Canada would be an option but it really doesn't seem like it...
 
Aida said:
Wow, thanks victoria!
Like I said, my French doesn't even really count, I know nothing... ha.
As for all that information you posted, it is very helpful. I imagined it is extremely hard to get in, it is almost easier to become a physician, like you said, in the US and in the UK too. I'm trying my best and this summer I will know if I met the entry requirements for Nottingham or not.

Darn, I was hoping Canada would be an option but it really doesn't seem like it...
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's not an option, I just think it isn't necessarily a fast track option like you hope. I'm sure you know this already, but the level required in European post secondary institutions (at least in the UK) is generally much higher than in NA. Getting a BSc before going on is not a bad thing, that extra training will help you a lot.

One more thing I thought of - if you somehow have French residency and can meet the language requirements, you can study at U of M for resident fees, which are like $2500-3000/year right now but they will hopefully be increasing since the province is dirt poor. The rest of Canada pays much more for post secondary education.
 

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