New PVM Students Get Head Start on School Year with Comprehensive Orientation Programs

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The new academic year got off to a fun and engaging start with orientation programs to help incoming DVM and Veterinary Nursing students acclimate to classes in Lynn Hall. The DVM students arrived a week before Monday’s (August 21) start to the fall semester for several days of orientation activities.  Meanwhile, Veterinary Nursing students entering their second year of the program participated in an orientation program designed to introduce them to their first experience taking classes in Lynn Hall after last year’s schedule of taking core courses across campus.

There are 87 students in the DVM Class of 2027. They come from Indiana and 14 other states, as well Puerto Rico and Korea. Male students account for 26 percent of the class, and 32 percent of the students represent diversity of race and ethnicity. More than 60 percent of the class members are Indiana residents and first-generation college students account for 18 percent of the class. Just gaining admission into the class is a major accomplishment, given that nearly 1,750 students applied for admission.

The orientation program, called “Launch! DVM 2027,” provided the class members with a head start on their veterinary school learning experience. A member of the Class of 2026, Leanne Greene, assisted by classmate Jacob Mishne, led the onboarding program to ensure that the orientation would provide as much help as possible to the incoming students. The week included a variety of activities and informative presentations about a range of topics, as well as tours. The orientation sessions began Monday, August 14, and concluded Saturday, August 19.  The Launch program included participation in the “Boiler Challenge” – a team-building experience on a ropes course, and opportunities to meet faculty, staff, and Dean Willie Reed, who led the class in reciting the Veterinarian’s Oath as a way of setting the stage for the educational experience that lies ahead.

Another annual favorite of the orientation is the Class Mosaic – an exercise that took place Friday, August 18, when the class members had the opportunity to paint triangular or circular pieces of canvas to then be assembled into a class mosaic. 

The orientation for the second-year Veterinary Nursing students began Monday, August 21. There are 28 students in the class, including 23 from Indiana, three from Illinois, and one from Michigan. The class also includes one international transfer student from Hong Kong. The orientation program, which spans multiple days, includes an overview of fall semester courses and instructors, tours, a clinic rotation orientation, and distribution of uniforms and equipment.  

New first-year Veterinary Nursing students also were welcomed to Purdue Friday, August 18, in the Lynn Hall courtyard, which was the scene for an ice cream social. There are 25 first-year Veterinary Nursing students, including 19 from Indiana and one each from Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, and Minnesota, as well as a student with dual citizenship in the U.S. and South Korea. 

Welcome to all of our incoming students!

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu