{"id":877,"date":"2017-10-17T14:49:30","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T14:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac-new\/?page_id=877"},"modified":"2025-10-15T14:18:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T18:18:08","slug":"freshman-year","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/four-year-timeline\/freshman-year\/","title":{"rendered":"First Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Prerequisite coursework for CVM NCSU<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Freshman Fall\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ALS 103<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ANS 150 &amp; ANS 151<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BIO 181<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ENG 101<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MA 107<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Freshman Spring\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BIO 183<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CH 101 &amp; CH 102<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MA 121, 131, OR 141<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>NOTE: You must check the <a href=\"https:\/\/applytovetschool.org\/\">prerequisite course requirements<\/a> of each Veterinary School that you plan to apply to and ensure that you have incorporated ALL required courses for these institutions in your undergraduate education. Each Veterinary School has different prerequisite courses, and these can change. It is recommend to check them at least once per semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fall Semester:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Focus on building a strong GPA<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create a Career Map to plan your prerequisite course work and your extracurricular\/work experiences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Look for volunteer, shadowing, or paid opportunities with veterinarians, <a href=\"https:\/\/undergradresearch.dasa.ncsu.edu\/opportunities\/getting-started\/\">research<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/research\/research-facilities\/off-campus-research-facilities\/lake-wheeler-road-facility\/\">NCSU animal education units<\/a> or local animal shelters<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cultivate a relationship with your major advisor and the <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/meet-the-vetpac-staff\/\">VetPAC Director<\/a> as both are invaluable advising resources to pre-veterinary undergraduates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider joining 1-2 clubs or service-based organizations. VetPAC recommends joining no more than 2 organizations per semester so that pre-veterinary students can maintain their GPA<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Considering attending the<a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/nc-veterinary-conference-2\/\"> North Carolina Veterinary Conference<\/a> in November to network with local practitioners and look for local opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prior to winter break, students should begin exploring summer internship opportunities. Turn in as many applications as possible before leaving campus for the holidays. The majority of applicants will wait until the spring to begin looking for summer opportunities, and thus getting an application in early can serve as a great advantage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Though it is brief, winter break is a great time to spend a time gaining experiences such as shadowing or volunteering at local animal shelters\/clinics, or riding along with mobile veterinarians<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spring Semester:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Consider a Teaching Assistantship, or an on-campus job in a faculty member&#8217;s lab or program office such as VetPAC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VetPAC recommends first and second year students take the 1 credit hour spring elective ANS 281: Professional Development of Pre-veterinary Track Students. This course is designed to teach students how to diversify their portfolio to become competitive applicants for Veterinary School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apply for VetPAC&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/shelter-medicine-internship-2\/\">Shelter Medicine Internship<\/a>. Second semester freshmen are eligible to apply for this internship in the spring semester since they will have a GPA<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider registering for and attending the <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/apvma-symposia\/\">American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association Annual Symposium<\/a> to tour US Vet Schools, network with other pre-veterinary students across the nation, and explore lab opportunities unavailable at NC&#160;State<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Finalize your summer internship\/volunteer plans. Many summer applications close in March and April, so students should plan to apply for summer opportunities before mid-spring.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Summer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Diversify your experience from companion animal to large, exotic or lab animal opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider non-clinical locations such as aquariums, farms, zoos, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kennel Assistantships are great positions for entry-level students looking for experience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Relevant VetPAC Programming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/pre-vet-first-year-orientation\/\">Pre-Veterinary First Year Orientation<\/a>&#8211; learn about available pre-veterinary resources at NC&#160;State<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/fall-seminar-series\/\">Fall Seminar Series<\/a>&#8211; learn about various fields and opportunities within Veterinary Medicine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/vetpac-networking-event\/\">Annual Networking Event<\/a>&#8211; Each January, network with local practitioners, CVM NCSU faculty, CVM NCSU DVM students, the NCSU Animal Education Unit representatives, and DVM Admissions representatives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shelter Medicine Internship (WCAC)- <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/shelter-medicine-internship-2\/\">https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/shelter-medicine-internship-2\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NCSU Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sign up for the <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/my-vetpac\/register\/\">VetPAC Listserv<\/a> to get access to updates and reminders about pre-veterinary events and opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Academic Success Center (Tutoring)- <a href=\"https:\/\/asc.dasa.ncsu.edu\/\">https:\/\/asc.dasa.ncsu.edu\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CALS Career Services (Resume &amp; Cover Letter Review)- <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/students\/cals-careers\/\">https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/students\/cals-careers\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NCSU Counseling Center- <a href=\"https:\/\/counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu\/\">https:\/\/counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu\/&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NCSU Undergraduate Research website- <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncsu.edu\/undergrad-research\/\"><span style=\"color: #cc0000\">http:\/\/www.ncsu.edu\/undergrad-research\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VetPAC Peer Advising Appointments- <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/guidance-support\/vetpac-interns\/\">https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/guidance-support\/vetpac-interns\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VMCAS ePortfolio Builder- <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/my-vetpac\/application-portfolio-builder\/\">https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/my-vetpac\/application-portfolio-builder\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Relevant AAVMC Links<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges- <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aavmc.org\/\">https:\/\/www.aavmc.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMSAR)-<a href=\"https:\/\/applytovetschool.org\/\"> https:\/\/applytovetschool.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prerequisite coursework for CVM NCSU: NOTE: You must check the prerequisite course requirements of each Veterinary School that you plan to apply to and ensure that you have incorporated ALL&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":800,"featured_media":0,"parent":680,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"10\/15\/2025","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-877","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/800"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=877"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7810,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/877\/revisions\/7810"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}