Augustana College

Getting accepted to veterinary school is tough. There simply aren't enough first-year seats for all the qualified students who want to become veterinarians. Augustana College has an early-acceptance agreement with the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine (UICVM). Seven Augustana sophomores have applied and been accepted to UICVM. They may elect to participate in a 3-4 coordinated degree program and attend UICVM after only three years at Augustana. Students from your area who have been accepted to UICVM include:

Eleven students from Augustana College were recently accepted to the highly selective University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. The college's unique 3-4 program allows students to earn their Bachelor of Arts degree in just three years before completing four years in vet school at U. of Illinois. Augustana is the only college to offer this guaranteed and early acceptance program with U. of I. and has a veterinary school acceptance rate of over 80% compared to the national average of 35%. Augustana's pre-veterinary program includes courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology, as well as clinical rotations at various veterinary clinics in the Quad-Cities area. The coordinated degree program with U. of I. requires a 3.5 GPA, a successful interview, and 3 letters of recommendation. Dr. Darrin Good, the pre-veterinary medicine advisor, credits the faculty for their willingness and ability to prepare students. "We coach our students so they know what veterinary schools want and expect," he says. Tara Czepiel, a senior biology and Spanish major in the pre-vet program, agrees with Good. "I am able to talk to my professors one-on-one. I always have questions, so the fact that my professors are approachable and willing to help has really made a difference for me." Good also attributes students' success in vet school to alumni's success in the past. "Because of the impressive reputation our alumni have built, our current and future students have an advantage when applying. Also, our alumni are fantastic in helping our students as mentors and allow them to shadow or work for them." Michael Rosser, a junior biology major, became interested in shelter medicine through his volunteer experience at CatNap from the Heart, an animal shelter in La Grange Park, Illinois. "What interests me about shelter medicine is the problem solving aspect: the patient cannot describe how/what they are feeling, so the veterinarian must rely on observable symptoms, changes in behavior, test results, etc. to determine what health conditions a certain animal may have and prevent transmission to the rest of the shelter population." Rosser values how the liberal arts curriculum at Augustana has prepared him to think critically and creatively in his future career. "Not only will I have a strong foundation in biology and chemistry as I enter vet school, but I will also be able to draw upon my background in the humanities and social sciences. These skills will continue to help me through the rest of my life, not only as a veterinarian, but also as a well-rounded person." From your area, students accepted into the 3-4 program with the U. of I. include:

Four students from Augustana College were recently accepted to the highly selective Southern Illinois University dental program. The college's distinctive 3-4 program allows students to earn a Bachelor of Arts in just three years before earning their doctorate of dental medicine at SIU. Augustana is the only college to offer this guaranteed and early acceptance program with SIU and has an impressive 70% acceptance rate to dental school. Augustana students in the pre-dentistry program complete chemistry, biology and physics courses in addition to clinical observations at various clinics in the Quad-Cities area. The coordinated degree program with SIU requires a 3.75 GPA and a high level of achievement on the Dental Admissions Test. The application process also involves an interview and three letters of recommendation. Dr. Darrin Good, the pre-dentistry advisor, credits the faculty for their willingness and ability to prepare students. "We coach our students so they know what dental schools want and expect," he said. Good also attributes students' success in dental school to alumni's success in the past. "Because of the impressive reputation our alumni have built, our current and future students have an advantage when applying. Also, our alumni are fantastic in helping our students as mentors and allow them to shadow or work for them." John Cairns, a sophomore biology major, feels well-prepared for the program at SIU. "The liberal arts curriculum at Augustana will allow me to enter SIU with a variety of subjects incorporated into my education. I'm confident that the high standards of Augustana professors will prepare me for the course load in graduate school." From your area, students accepted into the 3-4 program include: