Welcome, Freshmen!

Photos by Ryan Llera

Kicking off a three-day orientation session for members of the Class of 2007 was a welcome ceremony at which each new student received a blue laboratory coat to wear during anatomy class. On hand were College Dean Herb Whiteley, faculty members, Illinois practitioners, the president of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, and student representatives from the three continuing classes. Family and friends attended the ceremony and a panel discussion on supporting students during the first year of the veterinary curriculum.

Over the following two days before classes began on August 27, the freshman class participated in workshops, registered for courses, obtained IDs and parking passes, and covered other nitty-gritty aspects of veterinary college, such as financial aid.

The new class has about 20 non-Illinois resident students from states including Ohio, California, Arizona, Massachusetts, Maryland, Arkansas, New Jersey, Michigan, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Wisconsin, Maine, and even Alaska. Four students in the class were admitted through the Guaranteed Admission Program. Women comprise approximately three-fourths of the group.