Back from vacation! :)

Sorry lady and gents that there have not been any posts as of late as I went away on vacation for the last week.  Unfortunately I thought I posted right before leaving, as I went to receive all of my vaccines on the Monday right before I left.

So a little bit about my vacation, I had some nice time off, got to spend a bit of time with my mother, which was nice since I do not get a chance very often to see her these days.  Maybe three to five times a year, so any opportunity is always a good one.   I also got quite a bit of shopping in, plus started preparing some of my documents for travel, as well as looking into a room mate once again to help cut some of my living costs.

As for my trip, we (my brother, my good friend and I) went camping up north near Ste. Therese de la Gatineau, which is about three hours north of Montreal.  We spent pretty much the entire weekend at a music festival called Eclipse.  It was their 10th anniversary and our third year going, and I have to say it was an amazing weekend.  The event just keeps getting better every year, and I hope it is something we will continue to do as a yearly tradition for many more years to come.  Although I guess depending on my schooling, I may have to take a small break for the next few years.   I would be sad not to go, as I have met quite a few kind and interesting people there, but Ill take becoming a veterinarian over a good party any day of the week.  ;)

After my weekend, took the rest of the week pretty easy.  Relaxed most of the week with my brother, saw a couple of movies (Inception was amazing), and rented many more.  Now tomorrow back to work :S

So that is it for now, I just wanted to give you a little update, and I will be re-posting by this weekend my last post that was never posted for some reason.  Hope you are all having a lovely week!

Jonathan =D

Trials & Tribulations....

Never mind the financial worries I have, I now have my official "checklist" of things I need to do before entering onto the island of St-Kitt.


"Welcome to our upcoming January semester for 2011. Here is a checklist of next steps to help with your matriculation to St. Kitts.":

*Welcome packet received

*Submit seat deposit payment to secure your seat

*FAFSA online complete? (Our school code is: G 22779)

*Assign Financial Aid Counselor (via alphabet)

*Contact housing department:

 On campus: xxxxx@Rossvet.Edu. kn

 Off campus: xxxxxx@Rossvet.Edu.kn

(Children and pets off campus living only)

 To visit campus we need 3 week notice in advance. Contact MAC off campus at xxxx@rossvet.edu.kn

*Obtain good code of conduct letter or police report:  (local, county or state)

*Please book flight and forward information to NSC and Housing Directors ASAP 

*Book doctor’s appointment for Health Certificate:

 Hepatitis A and B (more than ten years a titer should be done)

 Tetanus (or booster dose for serious injury)

 Rabies (after two years a titer should be done)

 TB

 RPR

 Contact Nursing once completed

*Make sure passport is valid and won’t expire while on St. Kitts

*Make sure all official transcripts are received in NJ

So initially, I was going to say, I still have not received their so called "Welcome Packet" but as I got up to make some coffee, what did the Postman bring me? Of course, the Welcome Packet.  Obviously I have not had a chance to go through it yet, but I will!

Next step was to submit my seat payment to secure my seat for the 2011 semester, this was the two time $500 fee mentioned in my personal finances.  Half of my seat has been secured, just need one more payment but that is not due till September, so it gives me some time.

Unfortunately for FAFSA, as I am a canandian student, I cannot apply for that, so i will have to apply via a local canadian bank that does business in the states.  This is one of my minor dilemmas, as after looking into it, there are four main banks that will offer financial aide of some form to veterinarian students.  Those four banks are: BMO (Bank of Montreal), NBC (National Bank of Canada), RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) & TD bank.  
*BMO is offers the lowest interest rate at Canadiam Prime + 0.5%, with a maximum limit of $80K.
*NBC offers the best regarding the amount I can borrow, which is at about $120K, but it would be at an interest of Canadian Prime + 1.75%, unless I could get a co-signer, which at that point they would lower the interest to 1%.
*RBC is a bank I have done business with before in the past, and I feel comfortable with.  They offer canadian prime + 1% with most likely a limit of about $80K, unfortunately repayment of the principal begins 6 months after graduation, where all the other schools is year.  Another advantage to RBC is that they have an ATM machine near the school, so I wouldnt have to bother with any extra ATM fees if I needed to withdraw money.
*TD who everyone knows, they offer a limit of $80K at a variable interest rate, and they offer they expert advice free of charge.  Although I do not which bank that would not you advice.

The only other bank on island near the school that has an ATM machine, is Scotiabank.  All other withdrawals need to be done at one of the few local banks, which means there would be a fee associated with withdrawing from a different bank.  So a bit of dilemma on which bank to apply to.  Can I apply to all four and take the best offer? Do I go with convenience and access, total amount or lowest interest? Anyone have any advice?

With all these question, I thought having a Financial Aid Counselor would be the thing to have before applying for financial aid.  As i found out at the end of last week, apparently one was assigned to me already and she will contact me shortly.  So i guess Ill have to wait on that :S

Next is probably one of the more important things on this checklist, housing!!!!  Where am I going to live for the next three years :)  Unfortunately, as I am bringing my cats with me, I have to live off campus.  I contacted the off campus housing arrangements, and they told me, right now we are only dealing with September students, so please call back in September to discuss such matters.  Some more waiting, rah!  Yet they tell me send them my housing information and flight information ASAP.  I guess as soon as possible will be in 2-3 months :P

Some minor things have already been taken cared of, such my official transcripts being sent to NJ offices, as well as my passport being valid and up to date.  Considering I just got it in March of this year, I think i will be ok for a bit :)

Lastly then are the things i need to do to be allowed onto the island.  Which is send them a criminal police report of myself to make sure I havent been convicted for anything, especially if it involves any sort of drug trafficking.  Since I am an angel as my mother always say, I am in the clear ;)  

All that remains then, is my health certificate before I leave the country, which means getting a bunch of vaccines (rabies, tetanus, hepatitis A/B).  I already booked my appointment for the first set of vaccines along with my TB test.  Luckily I already took care of my RPR blood test when I was at the hospital last week visiting my nephrologist (overdue checkup for my kidneys).  I figure why not kill to birds with one stone, and asked him to add the sexually transmitted disease panel to the blood profile he wanted to do.   With one check mark, it was done :P  

I have to say I am a little apprehensive about getting so many vaccines, as I havent really gotten any in awhile.   Plus it is going to cost me close to $300 for that first visit; considering my finances are very tight at the moment, that is a lot of money.  My appointment date is for this coming Monday :S

These are only the things Ross U needs me to take care of before I can get in.  Never mind all the other things I personally have to worry about before leaving Montreal for the next four years.  My primary concern are my cats, wondering whether or not to bring all three with me.  If i do choose not to, for a multitude of reasons, included finances and stress involved, then how many would I leave behind?  I know I need atleast one of my cats with me for my own personal sanity while living away.  So if I only take one, then I need to find a temporary home for the other two.  One is a big submissive and will do well anywhere, the other is a bit dominant and might be more difficult.  So would I want to bring her with me as well?

Next on my list of concerns is my apartment, I have a lease signed till June 30th 2011.  Meaning I need to find someone to sublet my apartment to starting as of January.  It is my responsibility to find someone, and since my landlord has all post dated checks for the year, i would need to find someone who would be reliabel and I would sure that his payments to me would not bounce.

Then there is all the STUFF in my place, I have a pretty much brand new washer, dryer and fridge, with a perfectly functioning stove that is no where past is prime.  I have a tv, computer, couches, massive movie collection, large book collection, bunch of plants and animal supplies.  What to do with all my stuff and junk?  Some of it I could store, but storage costs money, I was thinking of having a garage sale and trying to sell most of it.  Living in Canada, it puts a little more stress because i would have to have my sale before winter hits, or before it gets to cold for people to come outside to rummage.  I doubt anyone could buy my appliances for the price i want, so then its a matter of putting into storage or trying to sell it on Craigslist or similar site and see if someone if willing to take it off my hands for a reasonable price.

Im sure there will be more things for me to worry about as the deadline comes closer, but hopefully by then I will be a little more informed and prepared for everything I have to do.  At the moment, I just feel a bit over whelmed with everything as I am still dealing with my full time job and the stress it provides on a weekly basis.

So that's it, the trials and tribulations of my little adventure that has begun.  Hope you enjoyed reading :)

Jonathan =D

The Financial Burden......

As mention in my first post, I will gladly and freely share with you the information provided to me regarding the financial responsibilities that have been placed on me after being accepted.

Approximate Costs involved before leaving for St-Kitt: $5762.00
My initial application cost: $75.00
Trip to Toronto for interview for vet school: $250.00
Initial fees to reserve seat for vet school upon acceptance: 2 payments of $500.00 = $1000.00

Approximate cost of airplane ticket to St-Kitt: $900.00
Approximate cost of medical fees before leaving (vaccines, health exam): $855.00
*Examination fee (health certificate before leaving): $30.00
*Vaccines (1st set): $275.00
*Vaccines (2nd set): $270.00
*Vaccines (3rd set): $270.00
*TB test: $10.00

Approximate cost of medical fees for my 3 cats before leaving: $2682.00
*Vaccines (FVRCP+Leukemia+Rabies): $79.00 X3 = $237.00
*Deworming treatment: $25.00 X 3 = $75.00
*External parasite prevention: $100.00 X 3 = $300.00
*Rabies titre (1st test): $273.00 X 3 = $819.00
*Rabies titre (2nd test): $273.00 X 3 = $819.00
*FeLV/FIV test: $90.00 X 3 = $270.00
*Health Examination (72hrs prior export): $54.00 x 3 = $162.00


Initial start up costs are "approximated" at: $9633.00

Housing security deposit & first month's rent	$1,700
Electricity security deposit	$   370
Telephone installation deposit	$   370
Internet & modem installation deposit	$   125
Groceries	$   600
Total	$3,165

Plus transportation costs for the purchase of an automobile on the island:

Car purchase	$6,000
Driver's license & car ownership transfer	$   100
Annual auto insurance (students 25 & older)	$   368
Total	$6,468

Approximate fees with going to vet school according to Ross U : $26,082 per Semester
*Tuition, fees, health insurance : $14,795.00 (tuition jumps to $18,500.00 for last 3 semesters)
*Room & board  (includes rent + electricity): $3752.00
*Transportation (includes gas money): $1455.00
*Personal Expenses (includes: food, phone, internet): $3867.00 
*Loan fees: $708.00
*Books & Supplies: $1505.00
*****Just living expenses along = $ 11,287.00 per Semester

There fore the grand total for the entire RossU Veterinary Experience is: $ 276,215.00
*Initial cost/fees: $15,395.00
*Tuitions fees: $14,795.00 / semester X 10 semesters = $147,950.00
*Living expenses: $11,287.00 / semester X 10 semester = $112,870.00



Obviously I do not expect to ask nor raise for all this money from friends, family and hopefully random kindhearted strangers.  I know I will have to get most of the money from financial loans and hopefully a scholarship or bursary.  


What I was hoping to raise, were funds to cover my initials costs to travel to St-Kitt, and hopefully the majority of my living expenses while on the island.  


Therefore if ideally my goal is to raise/collect: $15,395.00
*Plus make a dent as much as possible in the: $112,870.00 of living expenses for the entire program


Thank you in advance to anyone who chooses to donate, any little amount is extremely helpful and is most appreciated.  


Yours truly,


Jonathan =D

The long quest.......

To start, I guess I should begin by telling you about when and how I decided I wanted to become a veterinarian. We always had animal growing up, although I do not remember many of them but my first clear thought was near the end of grade 5, so back in 1991.  I saw this sickly old cat walking by the train tracks near my elementary school.  At first I felt a bit bad, but though nothing of it, just a stray cat.  As the week progressed, the cat didn't leave the perimeter of the school, I began to give it pieces of my lunch, which included some pudding (I was a kid) and some of the free milk we used to get.  Then the weekend came, as I returned to school the next week, I found the poor thing dead near the fence, not sure what the cause was at the time but now I can make a pretty good assumption that it was due to poor nutrition and perhaps age.  I remember thinking, to bad there wasn't someway I could have helped that cat more, to actually make it feel better and help make it healthy again, to save its life. 

I didn't give much more though into becoming a veterinarian until about 3 years later, as I neared the end of grade 7 (secondary 1).  Students were asked to look into and suggest a job they would like to do a one day internship at the location of our choice.  After looking over the list of potential jobs, I came across a veterinary clinic, which all of a sudden re-peaked my interest in my desire to help animals.

So the day came for my internship and I have to say, I loved it!!!!  It is that day, that captivated my continued interest and drive that I have today.   I was only 13 years old, so I can see why the experience is still so vivid in my mind.  I got to see a surgery for a luxated patella (loose knee cap), where the doctor had to grind down the head of the femur bone, so as the patella would properly sit into the joint, then she sutured it in place against the surrrounding tissue.  The second surgery was a poor dog, that got his paw run over and crushed.   The doctor spent over an hour, putting individual pins into each digit on the paw, replacing the bones in proper alignment and fixating the pins so the paw could heal properly.  It was an amazing experience, not to mention the other interesting things I saw that day, such a blood samples, general exams and so on.

The next day, I told the school counselor that I wanted to become a veterinarian.  Of course you get the usual answer you get from any school counselor, you know it is very hard, and you would have to study hard, and perhaps you should think of another career just in case.  I said thank you, but I wanted to become a veterinarian, and I understood the work involved, and I am capable of doing it!

Fast forward to the end of high school, to CEGEP, where I got in Dawson College into the Health Science program.  The plan was to apply to veterinarian medicine upon the completion of my degree.  Unfortunately this was not to be the case, half-way through my degree, in 1999 on the eve of the New Years, I got stricken with kidney stones.  I failed three of my core sciences courses with marks ranging from 35-45%.  This is of course destroyed my R-score (or GPA if you want), not to mention the next few semester I would have sporadic flare ups.  Unfortunately because of this, my R-score was no where close to the level they wanted to get into vet school.  I had a 28.45 they wanted a 33.0. 

Therefore my next step, was to go directly into University and try to complete a bachelor before applying, or completing another degree at the collegial level to try and raise my GPA to the acceptable level they wanted.  I decided to go back to CEGEP, but this time it was at Vanier College into the Animal Health Program.  I figured I could raise my GPA and at the same time I could work as a technician upon the completion of this degree as a fall back position. 

Fast forward another three years, it is now 2004, I am a certified animal health technician and I have been working as a technician for the last two years.  I apply to Université de Montreal (UdeM), the only school offering the program here in Quebec.  Unfortunately even with stellar marks my GPA was still below what they wanted, so I continued my career as a technician.  I did not give up on my dream, but I needed a break from my schooling.  So I spent the next couple of years continuing to work in various vet clinics.  Finally the day came for me to head back to school and to continue my quest to vet school.

I applied into the Biology program at Concordia University even though many suggested I enter into a lesser program to make sure I got perfect marks.  I just couldnt bring myself to "dumb myself down" as I would like to say to my friends.  Biology and the courses with in it were hard, but much more intriguing and interesting to learn.  Plus they apply to the field that i wanted to spend my life doing. 

Upon completion of my first three semesters, I decide to re-apply to UdeM, along with Guelph University in Ontario.  Unfortunately, once again my application gets denied.  Guelph at the time would only accept two students from Quebec every year, so I knew the chances of me getting in were slim, but it was the only other option I had at the time. 

Students from Eastern Canada, cannot apply to vet school in the west (Alberta) or the prairies (Saskatchewan), they just dont accept applications from other provinces.  As for the only other school available which was the one in PEI, they would consider me an international student, meaning I would have to pay international schooling fees.  I found it ridiculous that in my own country, I am pretty much an outsider.  I found it so irritating that i wrote a letter to the premier of my province to complain about our schooling system.  Of course you get the usual diplomatic reply, blah blah blah, we will look into it.

At this time, a friend of mine just completed her degree in veterinarian medicine at a school in the Caribbean.  The school was St. George University located on the island of Grenada.  Half-way through the application, a friend of mine comes across a poster for another school in the Caribbean.  This school was Ross University, which was located on the island of St-Kitt.  So upon the completion of my 5th semester, I finished my applications to both schools.

A couple of months later, I head back from Ross U.  They want to see me for an interview!!!  The next stage of the vet application, the stage I was always hoping to get to, because I knew I would nail it.  So fast forward to the interview, and my interviewer tells my brother "he slam dunked that interview", and that "he would be recommending me for immediate entry into the program".  So skip ahead one week, and I hear back from the school "you are officially accepted into the veterinary medicine program here at Ross University, Congratulations".  I cannot depict how elated and ecstatic I was to hear those words, finally I made it!!!!

There you have it, my long ass quest from the beginning till where I am now.  Hope you enjoyed the long read :)  Next up, will be info about my application to the school, and all the particular surrounding it.

Take Care for Now =D

My First Post: An Overview

This is my first posting, and my first attempt at ever creating a blog. I hope my writing style and what ever information I share with you will improve with time and have a better flow to it. Although any comments or recommendations are always welcome and appreciated.

I will be filling in the information section of my profile shortly to give you a little bit of a history of myself. As a quick overview to start, I decided that a long time ago, back at the beginning of high school that i wanted to join the great profession of veterinary medicine. Since then, I have had a few trials and tribulations along the way, personal problems, needless to say, after applying to a few vet schools over a period of about 10 years, I finally got accepted!

Finally my determination and drive have gotten me where I want to be. I cannot express how ecstatic and filled with joy I am. The last thing standing in my way of my dream, is the financial burden of applying and funding my way through vet school.

Hence why I have started up this blog, I am hoping to raise sufficient funds to cover at least the travel and living costs involved in studying in another country so far from home. In doing so, I will gladly post and share my personal experiences, photos, stories and progression over the next four and half years.

Well that's it for the moment, my next post should be shortly, and will have info about the school I applied to, costs involved, and the reasons I ended up choosing such a school so far away.

Hope you will enjoy my future posts! Have a great day!