Favorite responses upon hearing you are going to vet school

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Some random idiot (usually pre-med): Hey what are you taking this pre-req for?

Me: It's the last class I need before matriculating into vet school.

Some random idiot: Oh that's so cute!
or, I'm surprised you need this class for vet school...
or, oh...
or, doesn't the local community college have a good veterinary school? (this may top the list as my favorite)

Me: F*ck you

No animosity here, just having fun making fun of the ignorant =)

Probably the most irritating I got: That's a 2 year program, right?

Oh yea, thats a great one too! Probably heard it 20 times.

Here's a thread with similar stories:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=610230

But by all means, keep posting new things. Just thought it might be an amusing read.

I posted this as a rant when it happened to me a few weeks ago, but it still irritates me so I'm adding it to this list.
"Oh so you are going to vet school. Is that, like, something you can do online?" Idiot!

As much as I like to complain my favorites are actually the nice responses- usually along the lines of " I've heard that it is really hard to get in to vet school. I guess that means you are really smart." Love those people

Originally Posted by twelvetigers

Here's a thread with similar stories:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=610230

But by all means, keep posting new things. Just thought it might be an amusing read.

I was just thinking the other day that I missed the TT links to old topics. Hello summer break! Welcome back.

Originally Posted by StartingoverVet

I was just thinking the other day that I missed the TT links to old topics. Hello summer break! Welcome back.

Ah, it's not so much a lack of time (and I'm not really on break yet thanks to phys) but more forgetting topics or deciding it's probably not worth looking up and linking to it AGAIN...

I still try to do it here and there.

My favorite: o you mean like dogs and stuff? I get the that's a 2 year program right? My sister did that at a community college.

All I think is wtf

Email:
"Congrats."

"Why didn't you want to be a human doctor and help people?" - sarcastic favorite

Actual favorite, from several human doctors :
"WOW. Oh, WOW! That is really hard to get into...like, REALLY hard! Good for you!!!"

Originally Posted by NordiCat

"Why didn't you want to be a human doctor and help people?" - sarcastic favorite

Actual favorite, from several human doctors :
"WOW. Oh, WOW! That is really hard to get into...like, REALLY hard! Good for you!!!"

I would love for the doctor reaction to be in front of some of the people that think vet school is easy to get into or just seem uninterested.

Originally Posted by Lissarae06

Probably the most irritating I got: That's a 2 year program, right?

Yep.

"Oh congratulations! That's very neat! So you'll be done in... 2014?"

Negatory. It's a full 4 year medical program.

But actually I've been very fortunate to get a lot of the "That's really hard to do!" responses.

Actually, all the "human med" people I know were very impressed and extremely respectful of the profession. I have not had a single MD/DO student or resident ever talk down to me - in fact, quite the opposite.

Originally Posted by Lissarae06

Probably the most irritating I got: That's a 2 year program, right?

I get this a lot too.

Client: Oh! You finally got in? I'm SO proud of you! That will take like, what... 2 years?
.
Me: Thank you. Actually, it is a 4 year program.

Client: Oh, just like a real doctor! Well that makes me feel better about how you all have been treating my dogs!

Me: Oh, haha (AWKWARD SILENCE...)

better than just the blank stare, then...

really?
why?

"you're going to be able to get us all of our drugs and food for the dogs for free now right?" -my sister. more than once.

I haven't gotten much of the "that's a 2 year program, right?"

More often, it's been "wow, I've heard that's harder to get into than med school." I often don't bother to correct them

Originally Posted by Jamr0ckin

Client: Oh, just like a real doctor! Well that makes me feel better about how you all have been treating my dogs!

Me: Oh, haha (AWKWARD SILENCE...)

I just spewed coffee out my mouth. Thanks for the much needed laugh.

Originally Posted by NStarz

More often, it's been "wow, I've heard that's harder to get into than med school." I often don't bother to correct them

What's to correct?

My mom's big on the free food and meds thing too, ahaha...

My absolute favorite:

Mom: TW, what is this in the cat's ears???

Me: I'm not quite sure mom

Mom: well you're the vet!

Apparently I have already graduated vet school without stepping foot inside of it.

Originally Posted by TigerWillow

My absolute favorite:

Mom: TW, what is this in the cat's ears???

Me: I'm not quite sure mom

Mom: well you're the vet!

Apparently I have already graduated vet school without stepping foot inside of it.

OMG this is my family, too! It's soooo bad.

More so about the ignorance of what vet school (or veterinary medicine) means...
I was shadowing at a SA hospital and there was a highschool girl there (sitting on her butt texting) and she started chatting me up about what I was doing there. I told her I wanted to go to vet school. She says oh yeah, me too, I'm going to apply to (nearby vet tech school). I told her that was a school for becoming a vet tech, not a veterinarian. She says well, yeah, same thing. Both the vet and I tried to explain to her the difference between a tech and a vet several times and she was just like, I don't get it... We eventually gave up. That girl had been shadowing there for a month.

Originally Posted by Trilt

Email:
"Congrats."

I got this from a vet who wrote me one of me eLORs... just

"Congrats"

Not a single word more. He didn't even sign it. REALLY? I worked for you for 2 years.... It made me wonder how I even got in knowing HE wrote one of my evals.

what I hear almost every freakin week from my boss (and eLOR writer): "You know, it's not too late to apply to med school." or "you can still do science after you get done with vet school"

yeah, he's a special kind of arrogant.

My grandma's response:
"Why don't you just knock off all this nonsense and go to nursing school already? Lindsay (my nurse cousin) can get you a job."
It should be noted that I have never one time in my entire life ever showed any indication of my desire to be a nurse and apparently my cousin can just "get me a job" without any training what so ever

Originally Posted by Emiloo4

My grandma's response:
"Why don't you just knock off all this nonsense and go to nursing school already? Lindsay (my nurse cousin) can get you a job."
It should be noted that I have never one time in my entire life ever showed any indication of my desire to be a nurse and apparently my cousin can just "get me a job" without any training what so ever

family, gotta love 'em!

My department: "Well, you can always apply for an officer position."

I'd make more starting than a Vet too.

Wish I had a reaction to share, maybe next year.

Just the other day I answered the door to find a guy about my age trying to sell me some magazines. He asked what I do for a living and I replied that I'm in vet school. "Oh, cool! So you're going to be a vet tech then?" No no, honey...

In all fairness, my fiance was getting his hair cut a couple of weeks ago. The girl asked what he does and he said med school, to which she responded, "Oh so you'll be like an LPN?"

Apparently his mom is convinced vet school is shorter than med school, even though he has explained it to her several times...

Originally Posted by TigerWillow

My absolute favorite:

Mom: TW, what is this in the cat's ears???

Me: I'm not quite sure mom

Mom: well you're the vet!

Apparently I have already graduated vet school without stepping foot inside of it.

Haha. One of my guy friends called me the other day because his new puppy was hiccuping a lot.

My favorite by far was...
I got accepted to veterinary school!
Cool, so what are you going to study there?
.... its veterinary school I will be studying veterinary medicine
lol

When I told my boss I had decided to become a veterinarian he said oh OK, you can reduce your hours while you're in school (OSU is 3 hours from my house ). Me, no, there is only one vet school in Ohio and it's in Columbus, I'll be quitting. My boss: only one? What about Strausenburg, that's only 45 minutes away. Took me about 15 minutes to explain the difference between a vet tech and a vet and that there were only 28 vet schools in the country. He was shocked. Apparently he went home and looked up more info. and came back impressed I was pursuing it, but confident I'd get in. He was quite proud I got in and I think he got the word out to more people that I was in than I did that first day after I found out.

Most people say I thought you were in vet school already, what were you going to school for before?

I also had a friend (who wants to be a dentist) ask me, "Aren't you a veterinarian yet?" Uh no, that's another four years after I graduation. "Uh really? Oh that sucks..." I was like, yeah it's just like med school. I feel like if you're pursuing a medical profession you should probably know that, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Originally Posted by TigerWillow

My absolute favorite:

Mom: TW, what is this in the cat's ears???

Me: I'm not quite sure mom

Mom: well you're the vet!

Apparently I have already graduated vet school without stepping foot inside of it.

Thanksgiving break of my first year my dad had told my cousin (without me knowing) that I could take a look at and probably fix one of his son's show pigs. Um, no, no I can't. 1. I don't know anything yet 2. That would be practicing without a license 3. Why did you tell him I could without asking me first?

Originally Posted by Emiloo4

My grandma's response:
"Why don't you just knock off all this nonsense and go to nursing school already? Lindsay (my nurse cousin) can get you a job."
It should be noted that I have never one time in my entire life ever showed any indication of my desire to be a nurse and apparently my cousin can just "get me a job" without any training what so ever

My dad to this day tells me it isn't too late to take the LSAT. My whole family almost going back to my great-grandpa went to law school. Um, no thanks.

After my first year of undergrad I worked in a humane society with a girl I went to highschool with who was going to a two year vet tech program. She asked "don't you know how to draw blood yet? What are they teaching you in vet school?" No, no, no that's about 4 years away.

This year when I told my brother that I go in he said "Oh cool so do you have to find a PI and start writing grants?" No silly that's a different type of grad school

Here's a conversation I've had about a dozen times:

Them: What are you going to do when you graduate?
Me: I'm trying to get into vet school.
Them: Oh! Large animal or small animal?
Me: I was actually thinking of specializing. Perhaps veterinary anesthesiology or some kind of research.
Them: Wut? Does that even exist?



Also:

Me: I'm trying to get into vet school.
Them: Oh! I've heard that's harder to get into than med school.
Me: I'd love to see the numbers on that!
Them: Uh...

I get, "So, when you're a vet you can hire me!" from both the techs and receptionists at my vet hospital. And from my mom and the bf's mom.

Oh, and from my optometrist, "Congrats, there are only 3 vet schools, right?"

My father is STILL convinced that as soon as I graduate, he can retire, because I'm going to support him in his old age and buy him a goat (he's obsessed). I'm apparently also buying him a nice big farm, and a house and a riding lawn mower so he can earn his keep mowing the lawn. (which of I have my way, any lawn will have horses grazing on it!). Debt? What debt?

My favorite was from the vet clinic that I work at. The first person I told was the tech who has been my mentor for the last 4 years. He said congratulations about a million times and then told me that he was glad, because he "knew that I deserved it". That really meant a lot to me.

The doctors that I work for proceded to tell EVERYONE, and now it is to the point that when people call the clinic and I answer they ask "Is this the one who is going to vet school?"

Oh, and my best friends mother calls me up weekly so I can diagnose all her horse's "problems." (moms a bit of a hypochondriac). And since I started undergrad, she's been referring to me as "the vet"

Originally Posted by cowgirla

My father is STILL convinced that as soon as I graduate, he can retire, because I'm going to support him in his old age and buy him a goat (he's obsessed). I'm apparently also buying him a nice big farm, and a house and a riding lawn mower so he can earn his keep mowing the lawn. (which of I have my way, any lawn will have horses grazing on it!). Debt? What debt?

My friends majoring in social work think I'm going to support them somehow. Pretty sure I'm going to be living in a box, so they need to get rid of that idea quickly.

I got the "Oh that's a two year certificate program, right?" several times. Also, since starting vet school I've had quite a few friends and family (and even friends of friend of friends ) ask me medical questions about their pets (NOT A VET YET!). I also got a lot of "Oh, you must like animals!"....

But my favorite...
"Yeah, I'm in veterinary school."
<Face lights up> "Oh that's great!! What kind of animals do you want to work with?!!"
"I want to do lab animal medicine."
<Face FALLS> ".... oh..."

Ugh.

Originally Posted by OH Bunny Girl

I get, "So, when you're a vet you can hire me!" from both the techs and receptionists at my vet hospital. And from my mom and the bf's mom.

Oh, and from my optometrist, "Congrats, there are only 3 vet schools, right?"

my mother dreams of me having my own business and her being my receptionist some day. too bad i want to specialize and work in a large teaching hospital...

Mine was actually nice.

When working on a school computer, talking to a friend "Blah, blah, blah, when I go to vet school in Davis, blah blah blah."
Some random girls: "YOU GOT INTO DAVIS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" And then one fell off her chair.

Oh, underclassmen are so cute.

This one kills me.
Idiot: "So I heard that you are going to veterinary school. My child actually wants to become an animal doctor but I told her that its a waste of time and besides you want be an REAL doctor."
Me: silence
Idiot: "Why do you want to do that. Go become a human doctor where you can save real lives. Your life will be miserable by waiting on someone to bring their animals to you."
Me: silence and a face.

I have gotten the "two year program" comment so many times and it BLOWS MY MIND. Why in the WORLD would these people who SWEAR that their animal is their entire life and would die without them want someone with a certificate OPERATING on their patients? It just confuses me so very much!

On the flip side, it does help me to understand why some people are so scared to hand their animals over to a vets care. I think they don't know just how much training we receive.

whatevs. I'm gunna be a doctor, bishes!!

"So . . . do you have to take any science classes in vet school?"

From a very nice acquaintance. Who I talked to during midterms week. If you only knew, dear.

Then there's my father who decides to have the "what kind of job will you get" talk every time I come home. We've talked about private practice. We've talked about internships and my pipe dream of an emergency/critical care residency. We've talked about why equine probably isn't happening and how I don't really want to do industry. And yet every time the question comes up, it turns out all he's retained is "small animal private practice." So he always starts the conversation with "So, you're going to buy (old family vet)'s practice out in (podunk hometown), right?" Now, (old family vet) is one of the most wonderful human beings I've ever had the honor of meeting, and deep down my dad really does mean well. I just need to figure out a way to tell him that as far as desirability goes, ending up back in Podunk falls somewhere between the sixth and seventh circles of Hell for me.

Along the lines of the 2 year program...

when I told people I was getting my masters in animal science, SOO many people would respond by saying "oh, so you're going to practice veterinary medicine?" Um no. I've explained the difference so many times that now I think people actually understand what I mean when I say I'm going to vet school!

Originally Posted by Helloxkitty22

My favorite by far was...
I got accepted to veterinary school!
Cool, so what are you going to study there?
.... its veterinary school I will be studying veterinary medicine
lol

Yeah I get this too.

And then when I tell them I'm studying veterinary medicine...

"So what job do you get to have after that?"

Um what? A VET!!! Didn't realise it was so hard to understand lol...

I've gotten then two-year thing a lot. It's a DOCTORATE degree people, geeze. >_> Common sense. C'mon.

Also, in the spam of a week, I had a friend ask me, over FB of all places, what were some red bumps on her cat. o.O No picture provided at all, but most importantly, NOT A VET YET. And then my Dad called me to tell me the neighbor's dog has lymphoma and asked if I knew if the vet was being honest when he said chemotherapy could extend his life for 2 years. Idk, google other people's experiences? My undergrad wasn't in dog cancer, so I have no freaking clue. I'm not a fountain of vet medical knowledge...yet.

And one time I came down with a virus, so I went to the clinic on campus where the guy had asked what I'll be doing next year, so I told him about vet school. He then proceeded to tell me all about his wonderful huskies, and I just kept smiling and nodding. Then he dragged me to his office to show me pictures and continue talking. It was like, dude, I LOVE dogs, truly, but I need drugs right now. GIVE THEM TO ME. T_T