Burned out before vet school?

[stephrp]

It will take me a total of seven years to finish my bachelors degree. I took one year off after high school, then changed my major in community college a few times and finally decided with Biology. After three years, I'll finally be graduating with my A.S. Biology in May. I'm taking another year off before I transfer to my in-state university, where it'll take me four more years (three for the major and a year of some miscellaneous classes and classes I would like to retake) to earn my B.S. Animal Science. I work 30-40 hours per week and volunteer for 6-8 hours weekly and took anywhere from 3-5 classes per semester. I'm already feeling burned out and looking ahead, I think I'll feel even more burned out after three more years at a university.

Just wondering if anyone who is in vet school or finished vet school went through this and how you went about not being so burned out. I'm looking at 11 years of higher education if accepted to vet school. I am not considering rethinking my career choice because that is ultimately what I want to do. Just looking for tips about how to not feel so burned out.

(Financially it's best to take a year off to work and save money so I don't have to work as many hours when I transfer. I have two years of tuition-free university and my in-state isn't ridiculously expensive.)

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[jmo1012]

i dont really have much to say in the way of advice, but i'm on year 8 of higher education (and i'm graduating as a dvm in 3 months) and man am i feeling burnt out at this point. not necessarily burnt out of school, but just exhausted from the stress and mental exhaustion of this year. i wish you the best of luck with all you hope to achieve

 

[katatak]

Hi Stephrp,

I just started vet school and have been in school/extracurriculars/work non-stop since fall of 2007 (high school) while first getting my Associates then my Bachelors. Then did some classes post-grad to fulfill random vet school requirements, so all in all I have been in school 8 years. Thankfully I got accepted at this point otherwise I was considering more classes or another degree. I know I am not alone, there are many that get in to vet school after more than the typical 4 years in undergrad.

It just takes daily balance and breaks even though in the big theme of theme of things I am always thinking "GO!" Also I can say now that I didn't have this much endurance towards school/work/stress/etc while doing my associates. It got more built up while I was doing my Bachelors. And I can say its getting (hopefully) even more built up now while in vet school.

All in all only you can say what is too much. Don't push too much. Just enough. Be patient, if you love what you do remember that taking care of yourself is part of the journey so try to work that in.

Hope that helps.

 

[Gemgrrrl]

So, first I just want to say congratulations on completing your A.S.! I think it's amazing that you have continued to persevere through so many obstacles.

I went to school full time while working ~ 30 hours a week, and volunteering, and I have a husband and kids. Burn out is something I am always fighting against. Here's what works for me:

1. Celebrate the small achievements. Sometimes, when you feel like you've got a whole mountain to climb, it feels pointless to celebrate the first few miles. But you really need to acknowledge how much you've achieved in order to be able to keep doing it. Make sure you're not disregarding how much you've already done because it isn't everything. Give yourself a pat on the back every once and a while.

2. Keep your perspective. That 11 years is going to pass no matter how you choose to spend it. You could spend it getting to a place you've always wanted to be, or doing something that sucks but pays the bills. You're probably going to be working your butt off either way.

3. Allow yourself time to recharge. I actually plan to be a complete vegetable for about a week at the end of each semester. This usually takes the form of binge-watching entire seasons of television shows, pajamas, and far too few showers to admit to publicly. After a few days I'll decide that I wanted to be a human again, and go do something fun like meet up with friends, take my dog for a hike, go on a day trip with the family, etc. At first it was hard to justify this time because there was always so much to do. But I learned to tell my P.I., the vet clinic, and the places that I volunteer, that I wouldn't be available certain dates. And to get over the fear that they would find someone else to replace me if I wasn't there all the time. If I didn't schedule this time for myself, eventually I wouldn't be there at all. Like they say during the in-flight safety briefing - you have to put your oxygen mask on first before helping others.

Hang in there! Sometimes it does feel like you'll never make it. But you will. Just keep putting one foot in front of the next.

 

[twelvetigers]

I'm on year 11. Yeah, you'll probably get burned out. But I'm pretty sure I would be burned out no matter what. Just do what you can to alleviate it.

 

[hbr1704]

When I graduated from college I was definitely burned out. I was a NCAA athlete in cross country and track, which means we were in season all year. The only break I had from athletics was June, July and part of August (but even then I still had to do summer training on my own). Also, I worked 10-15 hours/week and most semesters had 2 labs. I was tired and most importantly I was tired of school. When I graduated from college, I decided to live abroad and make money. I ended up teaching abroad for 3 years and was able to save some money, travel, and recharge. I don't regret my decision to take some time off. My logic was vet school will always be there, but this opportunity to travel and see the world will not. Also, I did not accrue any additional debt while living/traveling abroad and in fact I was able to pay down some of my undergrad debt faster and I have paid my living expenses for my first year in vet school.

My one piece of advice about taking time off is try to get into vet school before your pre-reqs expire.

 

[BirdsinMyHouse]

SO, I'll tell you my story. I was accepted right out of undergrad into Ross University's CVM, and went there for two whole semesters before a medical issue came up. A few weeks into my third semester, I was forced to go home due to medical issues and when it became apparent that I would not be able to get back after one semester off, I withdrew in good standing with a 3.0. After, I applied to transfer into various schools but did not get in that way. I chose to reapply as a first semester (after retaking a number of C courses, which I got As in) student and got two interviews, and am now on two wait-lists. Might have to apply next time depending.

There is no rule that says we have to get everything done fast. Self-care is SO important in this profession... we hear a lot about the high suicide rate in vet med, and I really believe that not dealing with burnout is a factor. My issue was not burnout--a medical problem, rather--but the concept is the same. I could've stayed but I may have flunked out due to my medical problems, which would put me in a much worse place for reapplication. Now I am rolling the dice of reapplication, but I'm in a supportive environment so even if I have to keep doing this, I have a network ready to help me if need me.

I have former classmates at Ross who are now in their clinical year and some of them are in their 30s or beyond. You might have to retake tests or classes depending on how much time you take, but if this is really what you want to do, you'll find a way to do it. Take the time to care for yourself first.

 

[Puffins]

2. Keep your perspective. That 11 years is going to pass no matter how you choose to spend it. You could spend it getting to a place you've always wanted to be, or doing something that sucks but pays the bills. You're probably going to be working your butt off either way.

There is so much good advice in this thread but this piece is my favorite. I kind of want to print it out and put it on my wall because I like it so much.

Personally, I've been in college for nine out of the last ten years. I didn't figure out I wanted to be a vet until after I graduated from college. I took a year off and went back to school part time to take my prerequisites. It took me four years. However, I tried to keep Gemgrrl's advice in mind at the time and enjoyed having the freedom to pursue different veterinary experiences/ fun life stuff without feeling a time crunch that meant that I had to apply to vet school right away. I got to spend the bulk of my twenties having fun My goal since I decided I wanted to be a vet 5 years ago has been to get to vet school before my 30s. I'll be 29 when I start this fall!

My advice to you is not to stress about the time that is passing as you prepare to apply to vet school. Rather, embrace the opportunity to grow as a person and pursue different vet/animal experiences while you go through your classes. Try not to look at the years involved as a burden but as a chance to have a longer time to strengthen your application and a chance to live without the financial burden of veterinary school.