Class of 2015... How ya doing?

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Our anatomy lab groups are in groups of 4 with one person out of lab doing something else each day - radiology, palpation, etc. At the end of the day, we all get together and bring the missing person up to speed on what we did and make sure that they get the same exposure that we all did. Sometimes this takes 20 minutes, sometimes it's 1.5 hours. I think we might still be the only group that does this - other people are starting to start join us as well. It may be that we have two old people whose spouses live over an hour away, so we don't really have much to run home to, but we make a hell of a team in anatomy.

As far as grades, when you get down to it, vet school is essentially a pass/fail system for the most part. Unless you are trying to compete for a specialty right after graduation, which they seem to be pushing excessively, as long as you keep a C average, you're going to be fine.

The C average thing is a little misleading... "don't fail anything" is more accurate. At Penn if you fail 2 classes per year, you have to repeat the year. If you fail 3 I'm pretty sure you're out.

Originally Posted by Armymutt25A

Our anatomy lab groups are in groups of 4 with one person out of lab doing something else each day - radiology, palpation, etc. At the end of the day, we all get together and bring the missing person up to speed on what we did and make sure that they get the same exposure that we all did.

Interesting way of doing things. We're in groups of three. The professor suggested that we each take a role (say one person dissects, one assists and one stays reasonably clean to handle the dissection guide and lab manual) and rotate jobs every so often. So far, my group hasn't been able to make this work. We try to keep one person clean, but inevitably, we all end up poking around and dissecting.

It could be me, but after about an hour in lab, I start to stop noticing the smell. I'm far more bothered by my classmates' perfume (luckily, this doesn't seem to be a daily habit, just an after hours thing). Housemate was wearing perfume to pub crawl last night, and I was more averse to that then to the formalin. Go figure. Impatiently waiting for the AVC laundry service to get up and running though - I have scrubs that need to be washed.

We are officially done with Week 1 today. Yay! Physiology and anatomy are going to be my "scary" subjects, I can tell. I think both housemates have some grounding in physiology that I don't though, so I may have to bake them cookies in exchange for physio help.

Originally Posted by goldnretrivrgrl

Hey guys. I'm ashamed to admit this but I'm having a lot of trouble adjusting. When I'm actually at school, I'm fine. I enjoy the classes, have some friends, and overall am happy to be here. The problem is that I'm finding that I wake up really early every day , feeling anxious about what's to come. Not a good anxious either. And when I get home, I just feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I could or should be doing. I just don't know how to prioritze and make time for everything. Anatomy has so many pressing needs. Should I be reading ALL the dyce, studying the origins and insertions, or focusing on the lab stuff for tomorrow? Does all that anatomy need to be done before I look over another class's stuff?

And I know this isn't true but it just feels terribly like everyone else is enjoying themselves so much and at least handling the work, while I'm struggling not to cry as I type this. And the really poor sleep quality doesn't help with the emotions. I know I need some time to adjust, I'm just terrified that I'll always feel this anxiety. I had some trouble with social/generalized anxiety in the past and I'm so disappointed that it has returned so strongly. I just want it to go away again so I feel better. Overall I think I just really need a hug and for someone to tell me that they felt this way too and that everything will be ok.

Thanks for posting this. I was starting to wonder if it was just me. As someone who's also dealt with some psych issues in the past and is feeling it all come back, I applaud your openness.

I've got the triple combo special: social/generalized anxiety with a nice chewy side of depression, and between adjustment stress and some family issues, I suspect this semester will be tough. I'm calling CAPS on Tuesday to make a counseling appointment. Maybe if we get enough of us knocking down their doors after hours, psych services will spring for a dedicated vet school counselor . . .

Originally Posted by Minnerbelle

+1

I've always been a crammer by nature, and still am. I generally don't start studying until I get this sense of impending doom on a particular subject, and then I get right on it and don't stop until I have it down. My body's gotten really good at giving me that sense of impending doom at the right time depending on the subject. Sometimes I'll feel it like 1 week before the exam for something like anatomy where you can't get away from straight memorization. Or sometimes it's just 2 days before for something like physiology, where a couple days of really focused and targeted review of everything serves me much better than looking at the material everyday.

I've tried to be good and study regularly, but it always ends up being very inefficient for me (I'll nitpick at unnecessary detail, read things super slowly, etc...). I just make sure that I understand the material as it comes up, and if I don't, I'll spend time to look it up and read additional resources. But otherwise, all of the memorizing and putting material together happens in a couple of sittings. So no worries, there is a place in vet school for crammers. Not everyone works best by going through lecture notes everyday.

This gives me hope because I'm also a crammer (earliest I've ever started studying was 4 days before an exam - but when I study, I mean I REALLY study, as in 10-15 h/day studying). I was starting to think that I'll have to do a complete 180 with my study habits and review daily (I've never been good with that, I end up reading my notes for 1 min and then going back to the computer), phew. Like you, I can't force myself to concentrate on studying unless I feel under pressure.

Originally Posted by pooter

I'm calling CAPS on Tuesday to make a counseling appointment.

i went to Penn for undergrad and I can tell you for sure that CAPS is an amazing resource for whenever you're feeling stressed psychologically/mentally. Penn is such an academically rigorous environment it can get very stressful sometimes and so CAPS (at least i feel) is very well equipped to handle all sorts of issues.

just my two cents

Originally Posted by goldnretrivrgrl

Hey guys. I'm ashamed to admit this but I'm having a lot of trouble adjusting. When I'm actually at school, I'm fine. I enjoy the classes, have some friends, and overall am happy to be here. The problem is that I'm finding that I wake up really early every day , feeling anxious about what's to come. Not a good anxious either. And when I get home, I just feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I could or should be doing. I just don't know how to prioritze and make time for everything. Anatomy has so many pressing needs. Should I be reading ALL the dyce, studying the origins and insertions, or focusing on the lab stuff for tomorrow? Does all that anatomy need to be done before I look over another class's stuff?

And I know this isn't true but it just feels terribly like everyone else is enjoying themselves so much and at least handling the work, while I'm struggling not to cry as I type this. And the really poor sleep quality doesn't help with the emotions. I know I need some time to adjust, I'm just terrified that I'll always feel this anxiety. I had some trouble with social/generalized anxiety in the past and I'm so disappointed that it has returned so strongly. I just want it to go away again so I feel better. Overall I think I just really need a hug and for someone to tell me that they felt this way too and that everything will be ok.

I am coming out of the wood work on SDN to say... you are NOT alone.
Trust me on this. I had a bit of a struggle at first (we started back on August 8th)... I was overwhelmed, homesick, and having trouble adjusting to my new sleeping schedule. Two days is not enough time to get over jetlag and start vet school! But now that I am about a month into it... things are falling into place. Over here at the Royal Dick Vet, we were thrown craploads of material and such and basically had to just go home and study study study. Practicals have been used as reinforcements to go over dissected and live specimens, which has been so helpful.
The "futurevet" of September is not the "futurevet" of August. You start to realize that yes, you're here for a reason, and they would not have picked you if they didn't think you could handle the course load. Everyone studies/deals with things differently. Just take it all in stride as best you can, and don't feel ashamed in asking for outside help. It is incredibly hard work, but it will taste so sweet in the end! Now I just have to follow my own advice...
Good luck!

Originally Posted by goldnretrivrgrl

Thanks for the support everyone. Today actually was better. I just got home a little while ago and don't feel so crushed under the pressure (right now anyway). My lab group is meeting early tomorrow morning to go over stuff so I hope that helps some. I will definitely take all your advice into consideration. I'm going to see how I do over the weekend but if I feel anything like I did this morning, I will go see Ashra and/or a counselor next week. Special thanks to SOV and bunnity for their PennWe advice.
Just to stress for the pre-vets, I've struggled with anxiety before, so this is automatically going to be a little bit more of an adjustment for me. It's not my intention to frighten anyone. Penn's professors and other academic support staff have been nothing but wonderful to me and I'm really lucky to be here. Hopefully, in the next few weeks my psyche will realize that too.

I know exactly how you feel. I am so overwhelmed right now I feel like crying all the time. I don't feel like I am fast enough at learning and it seems like everyone else is doing just fine.

In lab on friday I almost burst out crying. Thank god I held it in. But it was so obvious that one of the teachers took me aside and tried to explain everything I didn't understand.

I might just have to go to a councilor too. I cannot continue to handle this stress. I totally blanked on a quiz the other day and I am pretty sure I failed it. I don't even want to look at my grade... especially because everyone is talking about how well they did.

I can't believe I am having this hard of a time adjusting. I knew it was going to be hard but I always thought it was do-able. But right now... it does not see that way.

Originally Posted by CarpeDiem89

I know exactly how you feel. I am so overwhelmed right now I feel like crying all the time. I don't feel like I am fast enough at learning and it seems like everyone else is doing just fine.

In lab on friday I almost burst out crying. Thank god I held it in. But it was so obvious that one of the teachers took me aside and tried to explain everything I didn't understand.

I might just have to go to a councilor too. I cannot continue to handle this stress. I totally blanked on a quiz the other day and I am pretty sure I failed it. I don't even want to look at my grade... especially because everyone is talking about how well they did.

I can't believe I am having this hard of a time adjusting. I knew it was going to be hard but I always thought it was do-able. But right now... it does not see that way.

Well, you aren't alone! I'm going to make an appointment for next week. I hope I can get this under control. And if I can, you can too! We're going to adjust. We're all in this together, ok? Good luck! I'm thinking about you

Hang in there everybody! It will get better!!

I'll keep good thoughts for you all and will hope that as the semester gets into full swing that you find a routine, support and comfort from some of your classmates and/or your local student health center. And, if none of that works, well, I guess there's always liquor...

Stay well; and get a little R&R when you can simply to clear your head. Although easier said than done, it's necessary!!!!

Originally Posted by LMMS

I'll keep good thoughts for you all and will hope that as the semester gets into full swing that you find a routine, support and comfort from some of your classmates and/or your local student health center. And, if none of that works, well, I guess there's always liquor...

Just to check.... do I need to go through the first two avenues before hitting up the liquor? Or can I skip right to the booze?

(We haven't actually started classes yet... just had orientation. UMN is kind to us - we get a full week of clinical stuff as a gentle introduction before hitting any of the challenging classes people traditionally show anxiety about.)

Originally Posted by LetItSnow

Just to check.... do I need to go through the first two avenues before hitting up the liquor? Or can I skip right to the booze?

**Blows dust off of OLD mental health certification in order to look the part**

**Coughs as small dust cloud rises into face**

You may do whatever you find works best for you and your situation. Everyone is different and requires different avenues in order to find their way though stressful situations. Thus, if it's the bottle you seek, then the bottle you shall have!!

May I also recommend a Bobo doll? It's a personal favorite of mine as it relieves stress and builds upper body strength. Kids dig it too!

Hey all,
Just wanted to offer some encouraging advice. No matter how it feels now, things really do get better. I strugged so much with adjusting to vet school, and getting into the swing of studying. There were many days (mostly friday nights) when I'd be the only person down at the school studying, and I was so frustrated because I was not seeing the results on the exams. I had quite a few emotional break downs, in the school and at home, and I really didn't think I was going to survive the first semester. There were many, many tears shed in front of friends, professors, and even the school janitorial staff (Who were always ready to provide a piece of candy, a smile, and an encouraging word when I was there at odd hours studying alone!)

Whether you had study skills going into vet school or not, its still an adjustment. You need to learn how to do deal with a ton of information being thrown at you. You need to learn how to deal with possibly not doing well on exams, feeling like you spend all your free time studying, not seeing the results you want, and struggling every single minute. But it WILL work out. One day, you'll wake up, and realize that maybe the world wont end if you take a Friday night off from studying, or two hours after class to go to the movies. Find what works for you, and stick with it. Nothing about vet school is supposed to be easy, but it's far from impossible! If you hear people bragging about their grades, ignore them. There will always be people like that, everywhere you go, and you don't need to pay attention to them!

I think the most important thing is to find something to do FOR YOU. Whether its laying on the couch with a glass of wine, going for a run, horseback ride, hiking with your dogs, out for dinner, or a hobby-- find something non vet school related that you can do to relax, and make it a priority. A couple hours to yourself every week will make a world of difference to your state of mind,

And if anyone needs a friendly ear, I'd be more than happy to listen and offer what I advice I can. I made it through-- all of you can too.

For reals, our janitorial staff should be mentioned as a selling point in the school brochure. They are uniquely friendly folks.

Originally Posted by bunnity

The C average thing is a little misleading... "don't fail anything" is more accurate. At Penn if you fail 2 classes per year, you have to repeat the year. If you fail 3 I'm pretty sure you're out.

For us, D might as well equal fail. If I remember the in-brief correctly, 3 Ds gets you a trip to the academic performance committee.

Originally Posted by Armymutt25A

For us, D might as well equal fail. If I remember the in-brief correctly, 3 Ds gets you a trip to the academic performance committee.

What happens if you end up at the academic performance committee?

At CSU it's you must get a 70% or above to keep moving on. If you get a 65-70%, then you get a "U" for unsatisfactory, and you have to remediate that in some way. Below 65% and you're out. If I remember correctly, you have a couple weeks to restudy and pass another comprehensive final with a >70%. If you get less than 70% on remediation, you're out. They might let you start again next year, but that's up to the discretion of the deans. You get 1 U for each credit that class is worth. (so not passing anatomy would be 8 Us and physiology would be 7 Us). On your 10th U you get kicked out. So it's really not that big a deal if you fail some of the smaller credit classes, but it kind of sucks because the big first-year classes are worth so many credits. Sounds kind of harsh, but you don't really hear about too many people who leave for academic difficulties. No one's flunked out of the class of 2014 (and we started out with a hefty 140).

Anything below a C- is just called a "Y" here (instead of any distinction between D/F) and we have to remediate it by the end of summer of that year or else repeat the entire year. I believe 3 Y grades = hearing for dismissal from school.

Originally Posted by Armymutt25A

For us, D might as well equal fail. If I remember the in-brief correctly, 3 Ds gets you a trip to the academic performance committee.

I thought D=Failed class at all vet schools?

Originally Posted by BlacKAT33

I thought D=Failed class at all vet schools?

You can "D out" at Mizzou, which means you get more than 9 credits of D's. So, if you got a D in Anatomy (6 credits) and a D in histology (3 credits), your ass is out. Not absolutely though, because you can repeat the year if you convince a committee that they should let you, but it's bad news bears.

SGU only goes A-C and anything below a 70% is failing leading to repeating or leaving.

I am happy though because I passed my first exam. Was hoping to do slightly better, but thats only because I'm stressing about having good grades so that I can apply competitively for an internship/residency in the future.

Originally Posted by Minnerbelle

What happens if you end up at the academic performance committee?

Not sure, and don't want to find out. I imagine it's the vet school version of a trial.

Originally Posted by breenie

You can "D out" at Mizzou, which means you get more than 9 credits of D's. So, if you got a D in Anatomy (6 credits) and a D in histology (3 credits), your ass is out. Not absolutely though, because you can repeat the year if you convince a committee that they should let you, but it's bad news bears.

So if you get a D in something that is 8 credits but the rest of your transcript is all C's and above, then when you graduate you have a D in that one class as "passing"?

Originally Posted by BlacKAT33

So if you get a D in something that is 8 credits but the rest of your transcript is all C's and above, then when you graduate you have a D in that one class as "passing"?

I believe so.

you guys are officially making me scared about starting vet school next fall, fall 2012...granted i get in this time around!

Originally Posted by twelvetigers

*nods*

I'm doing okay, though I'm pretty tired. Not completely overwhelmed, but sleepy.

And anatomy lab makes me gag... stinky. I'll get over it.

Unghh...it's not the smell, per se - it's that formalin gives me a headache! I need one of those goofy mask-thingies!

Fidils
VMRCVM c/o 2015

I... just packed breakfast, lunch, and dinner to eat at vet school today. What. What the what.

The formalin *in* the lab...of course I'm not a fan, but it's a necessary evil. When you still smell formalin an hour later when you're trying to eat your lunch, on the other hand...

Well, UC Davis in full swing now. First test on Friday which the profs PROMISE will be "big picture" and to which we all are sure it WON'T be. My classmates are awesome and I'm really enjoying everything.

The upperclassmen came back today (they are on quarters while we are on semesters) and it was great to start seeing more faces. Have to share the bathrooms now, though. bah humbug.

Greatest success: I have claimed my seat. No one has tried to sit in it for over a week now. YES!!!!

Off to dinner and then P-Chem and Cell Phys.

I really should be studying something besides anatomy. Granted, biochem has been mostly review so far, but dev bio? Who am I trying to kid? But there's just . . . so. Much. Anatomy.

Originally Posted by heylodeb

Greatest success: I have claimed my seat. No one has tried to sit in it for over a week now. YES!!!!.

lol only a fellow vet student can understand what an accomplishment that is . though I hear it's not a universal thing and some schools are less territorial than others.

Day 1, today: I got to pet a horse.

Tomorrow I get to pet a llama.

That is all.

Originally Posted by Minnerbelle

lol only a fellow vet student can understand what an accomplishment that is . though I hear it's not a universal thing and some schools are less territorial than others.

Our class is definitely territorial. Let's just say that when seats get stolen, it gets AWKWARD.

Originally Posted by Lissarae06

Our class is definitely territorial. Let's just say that when seats get stolen, it gets AWKWARD.

Haha I think I finally have a seat I regularly sit in here... but I'm not too picky because we don't test in that room so I'm down for anything. I jumped around the auditorium (back, front, right, middle... didn't go to the left at all though). for the first 2 weeks.

Originally Posted by Lissarae06

Our class is definitely territorial. Let's just say that when seats get stolen, it gets AWKWARD.

oh man. Ask my classmates - you sit in my seat and I get pissy. I don't think the rest of our class is as bad as I am. I have ALWAYS been this way though. I am a VERY visual learner so...well, I use it as an excuse anyway.

Originally Posted by heylodeb

oh man. Ask my classmates - you sit in my seat and I get pissy. I don't think the rest of our class is as bad as I am. I have ALWAYS been this way though. I am a VERY visual learner so...well, I use it as an excuse anyway.

A handful of us made a play for seats the night before by leaving cards with our names on them. The second years totally smacked us by sneaking in, removing them, and putting name tags for our entire class (by alphabetical order) throughout the room.

Awesome. Jerks. Love 'em.

Originally Posted by scb44f

Haha I think I finally have a seat I regularly sit in here... but I'm not too picky because we don't test in that room so I'm down for anything. I jumped around the auditorium (back, front, right, middle... didn't go to the left at all though). for the first 2 weeks.

i'm totally territorial and most of my classmates arent. i've had my seat moved quite a few times now, i'm learning to go with it haha. my classmates change it up all the time

Originally Posted by jmo1012

i'm totally territorial and most of my classmates arent. i've had my seat moved quite a few times now, i'm learning to go with it haha. my classmates change it up all the time

I was the one who changed it up yesterday and made everyone else go into a tizzy, all confused and such. There's a particular seat that I like but I'm never early enough to get to it, and it just so happened that yesterday I was. The battle will go on. Haha

We had club day today. I joined the Bovine Club, Wildlife Diseases Association Student Chapter and Pathology Club (woo for clinical path rounds!).

Originally Posted by Fidils

Unghh...it's not the smell, per se - it's that formalin gives me a headache! I need one of those goofy mask-thingies!

Fidils
VMRCVM c/o 2015

I was going to bring in 3 Army-issued protective masks for my group. Mostly for shock value, but with a purpose.

Originally Posted by LetItSnow

Tomorrow I get to pet a llama.

I didn't get to pet a llama. I was so disappointed. Where's my cuddly camelid?? Instead I had to play with cows. Nowhere near as cute.

Llamas are not really that cuddly... some (most?) of them are downright mean.

Crias are cute, though.

Originally Posted by twelvetigers

Llamas are not really that cuddly... some (most?) of them are downright mean.

Crias are cute, though.

Don't burst my bubble, TT. I've played with my sister-in-law's alpacas; I thought they were awfully cute. I'm going to bury my head in the sand and believe that all camelids are created equally.

Until one drenches me with a loogie.

First day of orientation tomorrow eeeeeee!

Originally Posted by LetItSnow

I didn't get to pet a llama. I was so disappointed. Where's my cuddly camelid??

Llama missed you too.

To add to the conversation about seating arrangements: I have been pleasantly floating around these first couple of weeks because I'm trying to meet new people. Branch out. But I realized yesterday that this now means I have been delegated to the very front row. The row that is made of portable chairs because the class is too big for the built in chairs. Nearly everyone else has laid claim to their seats. I refuse to be delegated to the front row! It is awful. I will now actually have to start trying to claim a seat. There are still about 8 out of the 90 seats that are left rotating, so I'll aim for one of those because people are getting territorial over those seats.

In other news, I have my first vet school test tomorrow. Physiology. I am definitely looking forward to being done with that so I can (somewhat) enjoy the weekend.

Accidentally sat in the 2nd row today because we were already in the lecture hall for a lunch lecture. Apparently in someone folks' claimed seats.

Caused a tizzy. Lololololololol.

Originally Posted by breenie

Accidentally sat in the 2nd row today because we were already in the lecture hall for a lunch lecture. Apparently in someone folks' claimed seats.

Caused a tizzy. Lololololololol.

lol heres a 2 min video we did about this topic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHqa_bYpFeU

I miss the United States

Originally Posted by BlacKAT33

lol heres a 2 min video we did about this topic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHqa_bYpFeU

bahahahaha that's amazing!!!

Originally Posted by BlacKAT33

lol heres a 2 min video we did about this topic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHqa_bYpFeU

thats hilarious! yeah none of my classmates are like that (even i am more laid back than that!) glad i don't go to a school where i have to worry about that! but i definitely went to class really early day 1 to get a seat i wanted haha (glad classes started at 1!).