Nov 13, 2024  
2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Pre-Veterinary - Minor


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The pre-veterinary minor prepares students interested in applying to veterinary schools to earn a degree (DVM). Most veterinary schools require a strong undergraduate background in the sciences as well as extensive and diverse clinical experience. Pre-Veterinary students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.4 and perform a minimum of 400 hours of community/pre-veterinary clinical service. The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is the only veterinary school in New York State; it is one of only 28 veterinary schools in the U.S. Succesful applicants to Cornell typically have completed at least 400 hours of veterinary practice/veterinary or biomedical research/public health experience under the supervision of a veterinarian or research scientist. Competitive applicants typically have engaged in two or more areas of “Veterinary Experience” (small animal, large animal, research, food animal, production, exotic, aquatic, wildlife, zoological medicine, etc.) with substantial depth (documented) in at least one of these areas. Cornell also considers related animal experiences positively, such as working with livestock, breeding or showing various species, working at a zoo/aquarium/pet shop, or volunteering at an animal shelter. All animal experiences must by supported by a letter of evaluation, at least one of which should be from a veterinarian who can assess the student’s understanding of the profession.

Required Courses for Pre-Veterinary - Minor


The Nazareth College Pre-Veterinary Program was structured using the course requirements listed by the Admissions Office at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. The following science courses (52 credit hours) are required for the minor and students must complete these courses with a grade of C- or better to be eligible to apply to most veterinary schools in the US.

Elective Courses for Pre-Veterinary - Minor


In addition to the required 52 credit hours, it is also highly recommended that students take the following biology elective courses:

Additional Information


Students also must complete a full year of English Composition and Literature (AP scores are NOT accepted for English).

Students wishing to apply to any of the 28 U.S. veterinary medical colleges (and/or the 4 Canadian veterinary medical colleges) must do so through the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ (AAVMC website: http://www.aavmc.org/) Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS). The specific requirements for each college can be found on the AAVMC website. Students applying to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine must take either the GRE General Test (preferred) or the MCAT examination. The average undergraduate GPA of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2006 was 3.72; the average GRE Verbal and Quantitative scores are generally above the 80th percentile (typically 1300/1600 or above).

The Cornell formula for evaluating applicants to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program is as follows:

Cornell’s DVM Admissions Formula
25% Overall GPA (all grades from all colleges)
25% GRE (verbal & quantitative only)
5% Quality of Academic Program
20% Animal/Veterinary/Biomedical Research Experience
(supported with Letters of Evaluation)
10% Non-Cognitive Skills
10% All Other Achievements & Letters of Evaluation
5% Personal Statement
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/prep.htm

Please visit the following Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine website for more detailed information: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/admissions/

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