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New Bolton Center Kennett Square, PA
Emergencies & Appointments:
610-444-5800
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Ryan Hospital Philadelphia, PA
Emergencies:
215-746-8911
Appointments:
215-746-8387
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Life Outside of Class


Being a student at Penn Vet is undeniably challenging and requires constant studying, difficult exams, and high expectations from professors. However, it also offers opportunities for enjoyment, forming lasting relationships, and unwinding. There are various social gatherings available for Penn Vet students to participate in, including:

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Interested in learning more about what it's like to be a Penn Vet student?


Student Events

VMD Student and patient taking part in Martin Luther King, Jr, Wellness Clinic at Penn Vet.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service - Penn Vet MLK Wellness Clinic

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Penn Vet hosts the MLK Wellness Clinic, reflecting the School’s commitment to honor Dr. King’s legacy. Organized by student members of the Shelter Medicine Club, this event offers pet owners who don’t have easy access to veterinary services a chance to get their animals vaccinated and examined. Dr. David Holt serves as the senior faculty clinicians, but the clinical staff comprises numerous Penn Vet clinicians, alumni, and current VMD students.

This past year, our student organizers included a human wellness component to our pet vaccination and wellness clinic. Pet owners were able to address their own personal dental and health concerns with RNs from Penn Nursing and Penn Dental students.

In its twelfth year, this special event reflects Penn Vet’s ongoing commitment to the Philadelphia community and supports animal and human well-being. Since the clinic’s inception, Penn Vet has served more than 2,000 animals. 
This clinic not only has enhanced the welfare of our community’s pets, but also contributes to the overall reduction of many preventable infectious diseases, including rabies. The clinic is Penn Vet’s flagship community event that educates owners on the well-being and care of their pets.

  • SAVMA Auction

    SAVMA AuctionThe annual SAVMA Auction is a great student fundraiser. Faculty and other members of the community donate items to be bid on at a silent auction. The funds go back to Penn Vet SAVMA. Learn all about it on our Penn Vet SAVMA Facebook and Instagram

  • Friday Socials

    Friday SocialsPretty much every Friday afternoon, students and other members of the Penn Vet community get together in the Quad to blow off steam and socialize. It's a good time to throw a frisbee and watch six dogs go for it at the same time!

  • Chili Cook Off

    Chili Cook-offIt’s Chili Cook-off night at Penn Vet! Students are lined up to taste their classmates delicious recipes! The fundraiser supports the Josh and Friends charity.

  • Skit Night

    It's your turn! You can finally blow off some steam, make fun of your favorite faculty member(s), and show off what it's like to have fun AND go to vet school. The sky is the limit -- let your imagination run wild! Check out the Skit Night video below and you'll understand what we mean.

  • Penn Vet Talent Show

    Our annual Penn Vet Talent Show features students, faculty, and staff. It's an opportunity for the Penn Vet community to demonstrate talents completely different from what they are studying, teaching, or practicing. We've had a conservatory-trained, concert-level flutist, guitar players, and jugglers. It's a great way to share your special talents!

Focus: Penn Vet Skit Night

An annual event that takes a fair amount of planning and teamwork is Penn Vet Skit Night. It's your chance to make fun of that professor who's been torturing you all semester, blow off some steam, and take it to the limit. And it's a competition! Here's a particularly stellar example from the Class of 2014.


Clubs & Organizations

  • Student Clubs at Penn Vet
    • Food Animal ClubACVIM (Penn Vet Student Chapter)

    • Alpha Psi
    • Equine Club (SCAAEP)
    • Feline Club
    • Food Animal Club
    • Humane Society of Veterinary Medicine Association at Penn (HSVMA)
    • Humane Society of Veterinary Medicine Association at PennInternational Veterinary Students Association (IVSA)
    • Jewish Network
    • Lab Animal Medicine Club
    • Lambda Vets
    • Neurology Club
    • One Health Club
    • Ophthalmology Club
    • Parasitology Club
      • Special Species Club
    • Pathology Club (ACVP, Student Chapter)
    • Penn Vet OEC (Orientation Committee)
    • Radiology Club
    • Reproduction Club (Society for Theriogenology)
    • Research Club
    • Shelter Medicine Club
    • Special Species Club
    • Sports Medicine Club
    • Student Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society
    • Surgery Club
    • Vet Pets
    • Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA)
    • Veterinary Business Management AssociationVOICE (Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment)
    • Wildlife Disease Association (WDA)
    • Wine Club

    To learn more about Penn Vet student clubs and organizations, please contact the Office for Students.

  • Penn Vet SAVMA

    Welcome to Penn Vet SAVMA!

    Our chapter is dedicated to improving the professional, social, and global possibilities for our students. With this site we hope to expand upon those opportunities by increasing connectivity and awareness of goings on at the school and national level.

    An organization can only be as great as its members (and we are that). There are many chances to get involved with activities, events, and committees. Once you register, you can look at the Members Section to learn more about the benefits and requirements of being a SAVMA member.

    SAVMA members are constantly taking up the charge of leadership, and gaining great experience in demanding roles. Leaders are needed in every microcosm of our profession, from heads of a practice to government officials. As a future veterinarian you will be looked upon as decisive figure-head, and many roles in our organization both locally and nationally will give you a true foundation in this regard.

    We must always move forward, promoting our profession, and as an organization with a unified voice we can do just that through current legislative initiatives enumerated on our Government Page. Though we constantly work at bettering ourselves for our profession we must also remember to better our profession as a whole.

    Both members and non-members are welcome to participate at our events.

    Our Mission:

    As the The University of Pennsylvania Chapter of the Student AVMA it is our mission:

    To increase the quality of veterinary student life through educational, social and cultural extracurricular activities.

    To foster an atmosphere of camaraderie and professional respect among students, faculty and administrators.

    To promote a sense of community spirit, educational excellence, recognition of accomplishments and wellness of body, spirit and mind.



Penn Graduate Resources


And Then There's Philly

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Living and studying in this diverse, multicultural and vibrant urban environment is endlessly interesting — and fun — as our students soon discover.

  • Philly is Thriving

    Philly, AKA the City of Brotherly Love, is thriving. From world class museums to rooftop bars. Philly, is a city filled with life.

  • The Great Outdoors

    There’s an amazing amount of outdoor space here, too, including the largest urban trail system in the nation.  Hiking and biking are awesome ways to leave exam pressure behind.

    Walking can do that, too.  Especially when you’re discovering such historic Philly neighborhoods as Old City, Society Hill, and Fairmount, near the storied Philadelphia Museum of Art and other famous local museums.

  • Philly is for Foodies

    At last count, Philly is home to more than 4,000 restaurants. Yes, we are definitely a Food Town! Whether you're in the mood for a cheesesteak at Pat's or Gino's on Passyunk, or you want that high-end cuisine of escargots and creme brulée, in Philly, you'll find it all: Asian Fusion, Soul Food, Vegan, Italian, Russian, German, Serbian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Guatemalan, Argentinian, African, or just good old diner food. We've got it in spades.

  • Philly Neighborhoods

    The city’s many ethnic neighborhoods — notably South Philly, which even publishes its own cultural guide — are excellent hang-out locales.

    Philadelphia tends to outdo itself when it comes to festivals and parades — notably the one that celebrated The Philadelphia Eagles first-ever Super Bowl win in 2018.  Check out the annual Gay Pride parade, Fringe Festival and other iconic Philly events for evidence of this!

  • The Music Scene

    The City of Brotherly Love boasts a great music scene, too.  The University of Pennsylvania's radio station, WXPN, is a nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots and folk. WXPN shares space with World Café Live, a music venue with visiting artists and great food.  Philadelphia's former opera house — repurposed into a 100,000-square-foot entertainment complex named Met Philadelphia — opened in 2018 with a performance by Bob Dylan.  Other top headliners have followed.  Great sounds can be found all over town (keep tabs on them here).  There’s even a thriving underground music scene — at the Trocadero, among other venues.