FAFSA

It is that time of the year, FAFSA time! Most of you are probably very familiar with the FAFSA because of undergrad. Some of you might think, oh they aren't going to give me any money for attending a professional school. Which yes, you most likely aren't going to get any government aid, but is still very important that you continue to fill out the FAFSA if you are planning to attend veterinary school. The FAFSA also allows you to get certain types of special loans and It is also a benefit to fill out the FAFSA because veterinary schools look at this form when they are considering people for scholarships. Schools want to be able to help out those who are in financial need and a lot of the scholarships out there for veterinary schools have a "financial need" factor. So, even though it might be a pain to fill out it will help you in the long run!

Tip***
Make sure to get the correct Financial Aid Code for each of your veterinary schools that you applied to for the FAFSA. This will allow the schools to access your FAFSA and takes it into consideration. I will be compiling all of these codes on my website under the Funds Page so take a look there if you need help.

Looking Back on School Selections

As an applicant sitting in limbo during January waiting on my two top schools to make contact with me about my application's status has really made me think about the decisions I made about six months ago when I was choosing the schools to apply to. I have no regrets in applying to the four schools that I did apply to, but what I do regret is not applying to more schools and schools in warmer locations. As many of you are thinking, applying to more schools quickly increases the financial aspect. This did impact my decision to only apply to four schools, but looking back I shouldn't have let this influence me so much. It may seem like a lot of money, with each additional school adding about $100 plus supplemental and interview fees on top, but in the long run it is very little compared to the opportunity of getting into veterinary school.

So when you are selecting your schools, make sure you do so with care. Make sure they fit who you are and what you want out of veterinary school. You don't want to waste your money, but I can guarantee you that you will never say "darn, I wish I would have applied to fewer schools". It will always be the wish that you had applied to more schools because it will increase your chances and bring piece of mind.