College Admissions Consulting High School Plan Series: Pre-Veterinary Studies and Listener Questions Written by Julia Joneson January 26th, 2017 I have been working in education with students for more than 20 years. I spent many years working in the admissions office at Brandeis University, where I was involved in virtually all aspects of the admissions process. As a senior member of the admissions committee, I was a key decision maker on applications, and I met and recruited students around the country and from major cities including Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Nashville. I also served as director of a one-thousand member national network of alumni recruiters and interviewers. Prior to joining College Coach, I continued my work with high school students and their families as director of admissions at a private day and boarding school in Massachusetts. Learn More About Julia college admissions advice, financial aid, getting in, paying for college, Do you have a budding veterinarian at home? If so, then the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation is for you, with lots of great info on this topic, along with answers to many listener questions on both college admissions and financial aid/scholarships. Pre-Veterinary Studies In the first segment, host Ian Fisher welcomed College Coach expert and former Barnard College admissions officer Kara Courtois to continue the conversation from last week on pre-professional pursuits. Today’s conversation centered on students interested in pursuing pre-veterinary studies. Ian and Kara discussed ways for students to demonstrate their passion for this pursuit in their college applications, and how both curricular and extracurricular choices can help students to foster their interest in science, medicine, and working with animals. The conversation also focused on how a potential interest in veterinary medicine can help guide a student’s college search and on how current college students can build a strong application for veterinary school. Listener Questions The rest of the show was devoted entirely to answering listener questions. To help with this, Ian welcomed back College Coach finance expert Kathy Ruby, and they both took turns providing expert insight and advice on the following questions: When should we take and start preparing for the SAT/ACT? Since the FAFSA has been available since last October, am I missing any important deadlines if I’m just starting to fill out the FAFSA now? What’s the best strategy for applying/re-applying to colleges after taking a GAP year? How does one find full tuition scholarships? How do I determine how competitive my student is, especially for those very selective colleges? What specific merit-based scholarships are available for freshmen and sophomores in high school? Also, what scholarships are available for those already in college? Does applying via Early Decision/Early Action programs increase one’s chances of admission? How does my senior best utilize the ED/EA option: should we use it for the dream school, the hard-to-get-in-but-possible school, or not at all? How does financial aid work in the Early Decision process? For the answers to all of these questions, pull up a comfy chair and download the episode! And don’t miss our next show, which will cover topics on transferring from a two-year to a four-year college and scholarship opportunities for the late starter. Related Resources Read | Posted on April 16th, 2024 Understanding Direct Admission: A Pathway to Success Read | Posted on April 10th, 2024 Acceptance by Emi Nietfeld; Why You Should Fill out the FAFSA Read | Posted on April 9th, 2024 Community Colleges with Campus Housing
