Internet Resource

Guide
For Students Applying to Veterinary
Colleges
Ashley Sutton

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Table of Contents
General Information
Whats in the Guide.....3
Who is the Guide for3
Assumptions of Users..3
Organization of the Guide3
Tips for Using the Guide..3
Periodical Literature Resources
CAB Direct Index4
JAVMA Journal...5
Government Resources
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications...6
Statistical Abstract of the United States...7
Professional Associations
American Veterinary Medical Assocation...8
Disscussion Groups
Student Doctor Network Pre-Veterinary Forum..9
College Accredidation Information
American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges10
Application Website
Veterinary Medical School Application Service...11

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Whats in the Guide
This guide will provide you with resources to answer all of your questions about the vet
school application process. You will find information on where to look if you have questions
about the application, need to find information to help with application questions, and
information that will help you prepare for interviews.
Who the Guide is For
The guide is for any undergraduate student or graduate who is interested in applying to
veterinary school or curious about the process.
Assumptions of Users
Users are assumed to have a Junior or higher level of college education in a preveterinary related field.
Organization of the Guide
The guide is organized into sections that will help you find journals, government
publications, general information about the field of veterinary medicine, and then specifics about
the application process and the schools you can apply to.
Tips for Using the Guide
The web address of each website is provided at the top of the page for that particular site.
The abstract will give you general information about the website and what situations you may
use it for. The tips sections will provide useful information on how to navigate and best use the
site. The first four general sources will be helpful to not only help you prepare for interviews but
may be useful in your current major related classes. The rest of the sources will help you to make
decisions directly relating to the application process from which schools to apply to all the way
through interviews and how to pay for school once you are accepted.

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CAB Direct A Periodical Index
http://www.cabdirect.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/advancedsearch.html
Abstract:
CAB Direct is an index to periodical articles and will help you to find research sources. CAB
Direct provides access to many journals provided through the Penn State Library system. It
includes over 10 million bibliographic records, over 200,000 full text articles, and many
authoritative reviews, news articles and reports. CAB Direct has periodicals dating back to 1964
until today and is updated weekly with new information. You can find the following databases
within CAB Direct: Animal Health and Production Compendium, CAB Abstracts Archive, CAB
Direct All Current Databases, Crop Protection Compendium, Forestry Compendium and Global
Health Archive. It covers the topics of veterinary medicine, dairy science, animal nutrition,
animal breeding and poultry science. If you are interested in applying to vet school, this will be a
good resource to help answer application questions that you may get about a specific disease, and
also to keep current on issues in the veterinary field.
Tips:

You can create a free account with CAB Direct so that you can save your searches, create
reading lists, and subscribe to email alerts.
To efficiently use this index to search for current information select dates within the last
few months in the search parameters.
You can refine your search using numerous fields including article title, author, subject,
language, and year.
If searching for information on a specific disease simply type in the name of the disease
in the search and select article title or subject term for the field, if you know the species
that the disease occurs in you can include the species in the broad term or identifier field.
Once you enter a search you can use options on the left of the page to further refine it,
including to only include articles with the full text online.

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Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA)

http://avmajournals.avma.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/toc/javma/246/4
Abstract:
The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association is published by the American
Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). It is published twice monthly and includes peerreviewed reports of clinical research, feature articles, and regular columns of interest to
veterinarians in public and private practice. The journals are published online with full text and
PDF versions available through the Penn State Libraries website. This is one of the best
resources for veterinarians today; it can give you insight on what it will be like to be a
veterinarian and also has information that will be pertinent to you now. For example there is an
article in the February 15, 2015 issue that will help you estimate the return on the cost of a
veterinary medical education.
This is also a good resource to consult because many veterinary schools ask interview questions
that try to gauge if you have a good idea of what it is like to be a veterinarian. By reading about
current medical issues, practice business information, research and other topics, you will be well
educated on the struggles that a veterinarian today might face and will be able to speak educated
about them.
Tips:

The site has a search bar on the left hand side where you can search by keyword in the
JAVMA or the other publication of the AVMA, the American Journal of Veterinary
Research.
If you want to know in more detail about any of the articles you can read the abstracts in
the In This Issue segment which is listed first within each issue.

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Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP)

http://catalog.gpo.gov/F/?func=find-d-0&local_base=GPO01PUB&clear_level=2
Abstract:
The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications or CGP is where you can find any current or
historical publications from the federal government. It includes publications from all three
branches with descriptions and links to the ones that are available online. The database is
updated daily and contains records back to July 1976. Not only new publications are added, but
older publications are being updated as well. Searches can be completed using the basic,
advanced or expert search categories with each one yielding a more specific result. Some
publications will not be available online, but the CGP will help you locate a library that has a
copy of the publication.
Using the CGP I found a report on the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2014. It is attempting
to modify the Controlled Substances Act so that veterinarians can transport and use medicines
while on house or farm calls. A document like this is of importance because it keeps you up to
date on the legal issues of veterinary medicine which will be important for interviews as well as
for your future career as a veterinarian. The following picture shows the type of information you
can find about a document using the CGP.

Tips:

Using the advanced or expert search pages will get you to more specific documents.
The advanced search page includes a tip section to help you complete your search
successfully.

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Statistical Abstract of the United States

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab
Abstract:
The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a summary of statistics on the social, political, and
economic organization of the US. The data was collected through the US Census but this was
terminated due to budget cuts. The information is now collected from other statistical sources of
government and private origin. The data is primarily national data, however, many sources break
the information down by state or region as well. It includes information about almost any
category you can think of from prices of commodities, to information about recreation,
agriculture, business, construction, education, government, labor and earnings, state and local
government, transportation and trade. All of the documents are available in both excel and PDF
format. Both the Agriculture and Health and Nutrition areas will be of importance to an aspiring
veterinarian.
Under the Health and Nutrition category the Health Conditions and Diseases subcategory has a
set of statistics that directly relate to veterinary medicine. It is a list of statistics about reportable
diseases titled HIV Diagnoses, Clamydia, and Lyme Disease. Information on the zoonotic
diseases Lyme Disease, West Nile, and Rabies numbers in animals specifically are listed. Lyme
disease cases are also broken down by state so you can get an idea of how prevalent this disease
is in your state.
Link to this document: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0185.pdf
Tips:

The left side of the page has the main categories that you can browse listed
alphabetically.
If you hover over a section with your curser you can pick a specific subsection, or if you
click on the main section it will show you all of the documents in each subsection on one
page.

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American Veterinary Medical Association Webpage
https://www.avma.org/Pages/home.aspx
Abstract:
The American Veterinary Medical Association is the largest organization for veterinarians in
the US. This organization provides publications as well as professional development and
conference opportunities to veterinarians. This information might help you confirm that a
career in veterinary medicine is right for you, and give you ideas with what you can do with
your degree. There is also a career center where you can find externships for while you are in
school and jobs for after you graduate.
As a student, many vet schools require you to join SAVMA, the student chapter of this
organization. The SAVMA section of the website will link you to each individual schools
website plus give information on all the events available for student members. Other valuable
information such as student financial resources is also provided.
Tips:

Links across the top of the page will lead you to different categories you may be
interested in.
To get to the SAVMA portion of the page click the About AVMA section then you
will find a link to the SAVMA page on the left hand side of the page.

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Student Doctor Network Pre-Veterinary Forum
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/pre-veterinary.73/
Abstract:
The Student Doctor Network (SDN) is a go to place for the entirety of the application cycle. You
can find information and from your peers about a wide range of topics from which schools to
apply to, questions on specific parts of the application, how to prepare for interviews, and
timelines of when other students are getting interview and acceptance offers. If you have
questions specific to you, you create a membership so that you can post on the forum.
Some of the most valuable information for me was to find out what types of questions to expect
and what to wear for interviews. Many students who have gone to interviews before can offer
advice and let you know what to expect about the day in general. Every school is different with
what they do, and usually someone can direct you about the specific school. There are threads for
most schools that you can follow all the way through from application, interview offers,
interview day, acceptance or rejection letters to the relocation process to your new school.
Tips:

Look at the Welcome to the Pre-Vet Forum! thread to find links to other specific
threads that may interest you.
If you use the search bar that is second from the top of the page it will search within the
veterinary forum to find if your question has been previously answered.
Post within a thread that is already started if your topic applies rather than starting a new
thread.

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American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)
http://www.aavmc.org/
Abstract:
The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges is the coordinating body of all US vet
schools. To be able to take board exams you must go to a school that is accredited by the
AAVMC. The students, applicants and advisors section of the website provides you with all of
the information you need to know to apply. There is an e-newsletter available to read, as well as
information about salaries, other resources, and the careers you might have in the field of
veterinary medicine.
For applicants there is a summary document of all prerequisites for every AAVMC member
school, which will be integral in helping you decide what courses you should take in your last
semesters as well as which schools you should apply to. There is a fact sheet that tells you all of
the general information that you need to know about the application process. There is a link for
more specific information about the application process and another that talks about funding
your veterinary medical education.
Tips:

In an orange bar across the upper portion of the page you can find the link to the Students
Applicants and Advisors section.
Once on this page the links to different sections are in the middle of the page under the
subheadings of specific categories. Prospective Students and Applicants will be the best
categories for you to use.

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Veterinary Medical School Application Service (VMCAS)

https://portal.vmcas.org/
Information Website: http://www.aavmc.org/Students-Applicants-andAdvisors/Veterinary-Medical-College-Application-Service.aspx
The Veterinary Medical School Application Service is created by the American Association of
Veterinary Medical Colleges. The VMCAS is the most important site in the application process.
It is where you will submit your general information that will be distributed to all of the colleges
you designate to send your application to. This is where your application fees will be paid to and
your transcripts sent to.
The information website is where you can find all details about applying and how to use the
VMCAS website. There are sections for before you apply, while you are in the process of
applying and information on the schools. There is a sample application and evaluation to look at,
as well as information about transcript verification and its deadline, which is commonly a
confusing subject.
Tips:

On the left side of the page you can find sections for FAQs, How to contact VMCAS and
Instructions.
If you are unsure of something and the FAQ section on the VMCAS site doesnt have the
answer, check the information website.