A First Year’s Guide to UCD SVM: Pre-Orientation

Advice for Pre-Orientation:

  • Get your bearings. Journey over to the vet school. Walk around and become familiar with things now that you don’t have the anxiety from an upcoming interview weighing on you. Try and find all of the places listed here. If you can’t find something, ask someone around you — there are plenty of people walking around during the summer who can help point you in the right direction. Places of importance:
    • 1020 Valley – Where all of your non-elective lectures will be held during first year
    • Locker Room. Inside Valley Hall, near the bathrooms there is a locker room with showers. This is where you will get to stake claim to a locker right before school starts.
    • Scrubs Cafe – your source of food, snacks, and beverages should you choose not to (or forget to) bring food in from home. I managed to get through all of first year without ever making a food/beverage purchase at Scrubs or the bookstore, so I cannot speak to the quality of the food but I know that their selection includes: Burgers, Grilled Cheese, Sandwiches, Salads, Baked Potatoes, Chili, Chicken Strips, French Fries, etc.
    • The Veterinary School Bookstore. Yes, we have our own bookstore and it’s on campus as opposed to on the main campus. It is small but does the trick by providing books, scrubs, lab coats, coveralls, boots, medical supplies such as stethoscopes and hemostats, and various UCD SVM paraphernalia that you can wear or gift with pride. The vet school bookstore does price match, so find a cheap *new* book or stethoscope online, print off the listing and bring it in to get the same item from the bookstore while saving on shipping.
    • The Vet School Library. Not that I stepped foot inside at all during my first year, it is good to know that it exists and where it is — adjacent to the vet school bookstore.
    • Anatomy Lab – In the Vet Med 3A building with the locker room across the hall. This is where you’ll have all of your Gross Anatomy Labs.
    • MPT – Multi-Purpose Teaching Lab. Situated between Valley Hall and Vet Med 3A, this building serves for virtually all labs outside of Anatomy during first year. This includes: Histology, Neurology, Cardiovascular Physiology, Parasitology, Immunology, Respiratory Physiology, Hematology and more! There are microscope labs on the bottom floor and the labs on the upper floor are large tables for groups of ~4 people to work.
    • VMTH – Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. You will have some labs, wet labs, and nursing sessions in here. It’s virtually impossible to miss, so just get an idea of where it is.
    • B & C Barns – In the back of the VMTH by the Large Animal Clinic. Don’t go in, just have a general idea of where they are as you will need to find them for your nursing sessions during first year.
    • Gourley. This building is harder to find, but if you go to the Large Animal entrance to the VMTH and walk towards the street, you’ll be walking towards Gourley. You’ll need an ID Badge to get in, so just be aware that it is where you’ll have some handling sessions,
    • CEH – Center for Equine Health. I’ll give you a hint. It’s not on the main campus. Here’s a map to help you find it. You will be having Equine handling sessions with your classmates over at the CEH and it would be great if you knew where you were going so as to avoid being late.
    • CCAH -Center for Companion Animal Health. This is the Community Practice part of the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital that is located to the left of the VMTH when standing in the VMTH parking lot — it is not referral based. This is where I take my pets for their routine physicals and vaccinations. Students get discounts on services and you get to be present for the 4th years to work up the case with the doctors, so it’s a glimpse into what 4th year will be like!
  • Amazon Prime. Here’s a huge money saver: use your UCD email account to sign up for a free year with Amazon Prime. Get all your books, supplies, or completely unrelated items shipped for free as long as they are eligible for Amazon Prime. Not familiar with Amazon Prime? Search Amazon.com like you would normally, but then click the Amazon Prime filter on the left hand side so that the only items that show up in your results are products that are eligible to ship for free with your free membership.
  • The ARC. Check out the ARC, which is the on campus gym and get familiar with what they have to offer. You can use the facilities for free with your UC Davis student ID, but a few things will cost you extra. Classes you can take but require an additional fee which you can pay per day, per month, or per quarter depending on your preference. The Rock Wall is also an extra fee, but is prorated from July 1st. You can also pay for the rock wall for a day ($5), quarter ($30) or year ($75) and equipment rentals are included in case you need a harness, shoes, or belay device and carabiner. NOTE: The first week of every quarter is Try Before You Buy Week. What this means: you have free access to the classes and rock wall during that week, so try them out! But be warned, it gets really busy so get their early to make sure you get a spot in the class.
  • Parking. Parking on campus is either by permit only. You can purchase day permits at $6 per day, monthly, quarter, or yearly passes. You’ll need to go to TAPS to get all permits with the exception of day permits. Please do not park in the VMTH or CCAH parking lots. There are plenty of other lots to use and these lots should be reserved for faculty, staff, and 4th year students (you will appreciate this when you are a 4th year yourself. As an underclassman, please try parking in lots 53, 56, or 57. You can find a parking map here.
  • TAPS. For anyone who is in need of a parking permit. Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) is located near the parking garage that is located on Hutchinson (cross street LaRue). From the parking garage, head away from Hutchinson along the field and TAPS will be on your right. Annual parking passes are pro-rated from July 1st, so don’t buy a pass too soon before you’ll actually start using it.
  • Downtown Davis. Checkout downtown Davis if you haven’t yet. Scope out where you think might be good study spots, places to eat, or hang out with friends.
  • Davis Wiki. If you haven’t become familiar already, become familiar with Davis Wiki as it is a great source of all information related to Davis. You can find anything from hours for your favorite coffee shop, menus for restaurants in town, reviews of the local bike shops, to recommendations for good tattoo artists in the area. There’s everything on there and you can update it with information of your own!
  • Get to Know the Area: Find your local grocery and drug stores, note their hours and locations. Chances are you’ve already done this if you’ve been in town for a a few days, but it’s still good to know where things are.
  • Costco. As much as I hate the premise, the store is great. With a membership, I am able to buy certain things in bulk (or split them with friends and share the cost). Also, gas at Costco is usually a good 20 cents or so cheaper than places in Davis, so if you’re in Woodland for whatever reason (including shopping at Costco), fill up! There’s a Target next door as well as a Best Buy and Michael’s.
  • Bike Around. Davis is known for having the most bikes per capita than any other city in the United States. That’s awesome! Did you bring your bike? If so, be sure to get to know the various bike paths around Davis as well as the easiest/safest commute to school. Be sure to have a hefty U-lock with you at all times and be smart when locking your bike up as bike theft is as commonplace in Davis as bikes are.
  • Prepare for Orientation. I will be the first to admit that the school pampers you during Orientation, but still it’s good to be prepared with things like sunscreen and comfy clothes & shoes. Mentally prepare by reminding yourself that yes, you’re bound to do a few things that are awkward or embarrassing but you are not alone! Bring a smile and a good attitude and make sure you laugh a lot — it’s going to be fun as long as you’ve got the right attitude!