CLASS OF 2014...how ya doing?

[HopefulAg]

Don't make flashcards? Again, when you're in class 8 hours a day, you don't have time for that kind of thing. You spend all your time preparing to study and none studying if you're trying to make flashcards for everything.

I use flashcardexchange.com to make flashcards. Goes real quickly, much faster than doing them by hand.

I don't understand how people keep things straight WITHOUT flash cards lol. Do y'all just read your notes or what? Whenever I try that I try to quiz myself but the answer is right there in my peripheral so it never seems that productive to me.

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[katryn]

I'm with you hopefulAg. I have to make up questions (or use provided ones) as a way to quiz myself. Otherwise I find myself thinking that the answer is in the third paragraph halfway down page 10 with no clue what the answer actually is. >< Making question flashcards has shot my recognition through the roof for classes that require it (can you say I love multiple choice tests! ).

But I can see how listening, and reviewing later is also a valid way to learn, especially for conceptual material where there aren't so many facts as "how does this work". Otherwise I would be horridly lost for all of the lectures that I manage to space out/fall asleep in. Thankfully our professors post outstanding notes and you can usually go back and look through them for anything you missed.

It all boils down to different strokes for different folks.

 

[moosenanny]

I have found that my learning/studying strategies have varied from class to class. Some of our professors present with PowerPoints that have very little text - mostly pictures. If you didn't take detailed notes in those classes, you would have a bunch of meaningless unlabeled pictures to study off of.

Regardless of what strategy is used, I think people have to do what's comfortable for them. I'd recommend to anyone at any school to do what has been successful in the past, and stick with that (unless you have really under-developed study skills from undergrad). I always liked staying up on the material, so every single day after class I summarize every single lecture we had (obviously this was a lot easier to do in undergrad, but I'm definitely still finding the time for this). Then, when the test comes up, I've already gotten a head-start on studying and have my study guide ready to go. It also really helps so that I get the most out of lecture each day since I know what's been going on and understand everything up to that point. However, many of my classmates at Davis take totally opposite approaches and are doing just as well as I am. In the end, I stuck with what has worked for me in the past, and I am getting better grades than ever!

 

[Lab Rat83]

Everything you guys are saying about vet schoold sounds as scary as hell, but a little exciting at the same time

Any updates from some AVC'ers?

 

[Braki]

I use flashcardexchange.com to make flashcards. Goes real quickly, much faster than doing them by hand.

I don't understand how people keep things straight WITHOUT flash cards lol. Do y'all just read your notes or what? Whenever I try that I try to quiz myself but the answer is right there in my peripheral so it never seems that productive to me.

Thank you so much for this website! I had given up on flashcards because, like others said, they just took way too long to make. This looks way faster.

Since I spent my last post ranting, I am going to say this time that I do love a lot of the teaching here. It's not all perfect, but a lot of things get taught in an integrated manner, so that we cover the same system in a bunch of different courses. It really helps the material sink in and it's really nice that they organized it that way. They even changed histo, because usually they teach all of the nervous system at once, but since we don't have our neuro course until way later, they just did the peripheral nervous system and are leaving the CNS for when we do neuro so that it makes more sense.

They also have this cool course called Biomedical Rounds. There are no tests, and you're in a small group with a vet mentor and you work through a case together as a team, and it's usually relevant to something you're learning at the time. Our first BMR case was a dog with a torn cranial cruciate ligament, since we're doing limbs in anatomy. The other ones later on are supposed to be more physiological, and will be fairly relevant to the physiology module we're doing at the time. So we have all these courses and they all link back to each other and it's really awesome.

 

[skittles12]

Making question flashcards has shot my recognition through the roof for classes that require it (can you say I love multiple choice tests! ).

I agree! I make a lot of flash cards, because I like to have the answer right there. I also like that almost all of our tests are multiple choice. Especially after looking at some of the old bacteriology tests and quizzes. Some of those are just paragraph after paragraph! *shudder*

 

[katryn]

@skittles: I'm totally screwed for bacteriology on Monday. I've been looking at my notes, and looking at the old tests, and nothing has sunk in. I've tried flashcards, outlines, taking the old tests for myself. I'll be very glad when this class is over, and hopefully I will at least get by with a barely passing grade.

 

[Veracosa]

Whew! This is my first weekend in the last month where I feel like I have a tiny bit of downtime.
I am at VMRCVM, and it's going okay.
I have gotten comfortable with my professors and classmates and routine, and am feeling a bit more confident. I have only gotten one non-passing exam grade so far, and I can work my way up in that class with lots of memorization (ick biochem).

I tried to keep up with material, and in some instances I do (esp. anatomy), but I have found that I am doing what BlackKat was talking about: paying close attention during lecture, doing some review, and then cramming for exams. I have come to the realization that classes and concepts that are important to me I will put more consistent effort in, such as physiology topics or anatomy. Things that have less personal interest or that I am less likely to encounter at great detail I am leaving to cram-mode, like the nitpicky parts of biochem and histology.

I am at the point where I know I could do better and put more effort in, but I am having problems balancing life at home with school. I am married, and don't want my husband to feel left out in the cold! I also have diagnosed bipolar II, so I am on medication and visit a therapist every other week. This helps me keep on track, but I have to recognize my emotional limits sometimes.
I am tired ALL the time. I feel so mentally exhausted I sleep like 12 hours on the weekends (I usually get 7 hours during the week).
And I am bad, and have been sneaking in cigarettes again. I don't want to, and need to quit that. But it's hard when it's such an easy (albeit expensive and crappy) coping mechanism.

I am looking forward to the Winter break, so I can figure out a better routine and hopefully work in some better/healthier coping mechanisms.

But, all in all, I am doing okay, getting mostly B's, and have made some really good friends in my class. I am getting to know the area, and it's starting to feel a little more like "home."

 

[drkitty2010]

Good to see some familiar faces on here. I know you but I don't know you... strange though that is. Tobysgirl... I miss wine wed!! When will we have time again! And Veracosa, I am sure that I am out there sneaking cigarettes with you. Oh to know who you really are...
VMRCVM is totally kicking mu butt every day. I wouldn't trade it for the world. It is VERY hard to go from the person at work to whom the others turn for advise and experience and quite another to be one of the people STRUGGLING to pass a class. I apparently have forgotten how to study and suck at learning stuff that I can't apply to anything real at the moment. Maybe I would feel better if they actually let us palpate creatures instead of talking to us about palpation all the time. It is like having a carrot dangled in front of me. AHHHH! What gets me through the hard times (besides my totally awesome new vet school friends!)??? I think about how much butt I am gonna kick in clinicals if I can just manage to get myself there!
It is nice to see that VT is not the only school that has issues with boobs, FB and bar behavior. We were told that there is only one bar that we can go to in town as a vet school group because all of the previous classes got us banned from the other ones. We also just started a dress code; which infuriated a lot of my class mates even though, as a whole my class dressed fine before the dress code. We also got a huge FB talk down and have been labeled the whinny class by the other vet school classes. I just think it's weird (and yet nice at the same time) that my class experiences seem to be normal.
BTW, for all you newbe's and wannabe's out there on SDN... yes we are totally stressed, no we don't have a lot of time to give you updates about school, no we are not about to die, yes our significant others are driving us up a wall because they can't understand EVERYTHING we are going through, and no we wouldn't trade this for anything else (except maybe to be done already). Don't let us scare you off. You have to take the bad with the good in this case. It's kinda like euthanasia... you accept it as part of the job and learn to move on and not dwell on the sad/hard times. Ok, sad reference when I am trying to make everyone feel better about applying this round. The point is: it is what you make it. IT WILL BE HARD!! IT WILL BE TIME CONSUMING! IT WILL MAKE YOU FORGET YOUR OWN NAME BECAUSE YOU JUST CRAMMED 3 WEEKS OF BIOCHEM, 4 BODY SYSTEMS AND ABOUT A MILLION VOCAB TERMS OVER TOP OF IT! But it will also be rewarding when you do well on a test you prepared well for, when you can help a classmate understand some concept that they are struggling to understand and when you can finally touch an animal and know in your heart of hearts that EVERYTHING you are going through IS WORTH IT FOR THAT MOMENT IN TIME! We will all get through this, and you can too if you just keep telling yourself that you can. It may be the bad stuff that keeps me off SDN and FB because I have little time for such things, but it is the good stuff that makes we want to share my experiences with you all here now. I think it is worth it if it means that in 3.75 more years, I can be out there doing what I love and what I am %@*^ good at doing (beside what my stupid grades say right now!)
Good luck to everyone in their classes and best wishes to those who have just gone through the VMCAS application process!

 

[BlacKAT33]

so i just got my anatomy practical on the dog body back...I PASSED!!! even without a curve !!! YAYYY The range on our exam was REALLY spread apart lol so im glad to be in the middle


thanks for everyone who was supportive and realized i just needed some positive words of wisdom to keep going emotionally (not trying to make my school sound like the hardest/best or some crap like that)

Good luck to everyone else on upcoming exams! I have biochem soon ughh can't wait til this class is over!

 

[psilovethomas]

Woot BlacKAT! We knew you could do it! Good luck with biochem!

 

[katryn]

Congrats BlacKAT! Glad to hear it went so well. Keep your fingers crossed for the UT people and our bacteriology exam this morning. The general consensus is that probability guarantees that we probably scored 25%. It sounded like most of the people in our class guessed the heck out of that exam.

 

[dyachei]

Congrats BlacKAT! Glad to hear it went so well. Keep your fingers crossed for the UT people and our bacteriology exam this morning. The general consensus is that probability guarantees that we probably scored 25%. It sounded like most of the people in our class guessed the heck out of that exam.

The average our year was usually in the 40-50% range. There are always a few outliers though. He curves at the end of the semester so everyone gets at least a C. Just FYI in case you hadn't heard.

 

[katryn]

Yeah, I know. It just stings to have spent so much time studying to spend so much time guessing answers.

 

[BlacKAT33]

Yeah, I know. It just stings to have spent so much time studying to spend so much time guessing answers.

eek that does not sound fun!! it hurts to study ur butt off and walk out of an exam thinking that! heres to hoping you got the 60%=A+!!

 

[katryn]

eek that does not sound fun!! it hurts to study ur butt off and walk out of an exam thinking that! heres to hoping you got the 60%=A+!!

Thanks BlacKAT. I'm hoping too, but I'll be happy with landing close enough to the average to pass.

 

[168135]

I don't understand the point of having super hard midterms that everyone guesses on that barely anybody can pass... exactly how does that make you a good vet in the end? Seems to me like all it does is stress you out.

 

[StartingoverVet]

I don't understand the point of having super hard midterms that everyone guesses on that barely anybody can pass... exactly how does that make you a good vet in the end? Seems to me like all it does is stress you out.

Because life isn't like exams.

Get used to not knowing the "answers" more than 1/2 the time, and learning to struggle to come up with the best solution in any given circumstance.

Do you think just because you get a 90% it makes you knowledgeable? or a good vet? I think not.

 

[168135]

Yeah well duh.

It just seems like people are given an exam with questions they haven't heard of and have to take a wild guess based on nothing. At least in the real world, if you don't know something, you can research it. You can't do that on an exam.

 

[katryn]

I don't think this professor actually does it on purpose. He's one of those people who is so brilliant that he thinks in obscure ways. When he explains it, you can see how you could draw that conclusion from what he went over in class, but it's not anything that is intuitively obvious.....unless you happen to think like he does. I'm not sure he could make an easy test even if he tried only because he does not think like everyone else. It is good for making you think differently about material though, just difficult.

 

[racccjlm]

To quote a children's book:
I'm having a "Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day!" Lately I am just so frustrated with life - I suppose it's my fault for choosing to go to school in a state that is interested largely in food production. Urgh it just never ****ing ends.

 

[natalieises]

Kill...me...now....

 

[HopefulAg]

Get used to not knowing the "answers" more than 1/2 the time, and learning to struggle to come up with the best solution in any given circumstance.

Do you think just because you get a 90% it makes you knowledgeable? or a good vet? I think not.

Yah but they'll still fail you out of vet school for not being able to randomly guess accurately enough That's the point where it's not really 'fair' (yah, yah, I know all about 'fair').


I empathize with the 'kill...me...now' sentiment. Still trudging my way through the abdominal viscera, vessels, nerves, and veins, and just got a whole bunch of pelvic added onto it as well. This next test is going to be a beast. Soooo much minutiae.
​

 

[NittanyKitty]

With anatomy it feels like each section we think, "well, it can't get any worse than THIS!"

We just finished up the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities and just started on the head. And I can tell that this section is going to be by far the worst to learn. Ugh.

 

[Minnerbelle]

We just finished up the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities and just started on the head. And I can tell that this section is going to be by far the worst to learn. Ugh.

YES! I thought I finally got down exactly how to study for anatomy after the pelvic + thoracic limbs (which for some reason contained the skull?).

But next week we have an exam on the head + thoracic cavity, and the head is really really throwing me off. I have no idea what to expect on the exam. Is it even possible to tag a lot of the stuff in the head anyway??? Likel those itty bitty nerves that I'm sure don't even exist on many of these cadavers?

 

[StartingoverVet]

Kill...me...now....

Ready to throw in the towel....

 

[Angelus9]

Awww, it's gotta be so tough.

Find a 4th year who's in clinics and absolutely loving it, someone who has slogged through those first 3 brutal years (at least at Penn) and is now externing all over the place, using all the knowledge and having left the classroom behind!

 

[BlacKAT33]

Awww, it's gotta be so tough.

Find a 4th year who's in clinics and absolutely loving it, someone who has slogged through those first 3 brutal years (at least at Penn) and is now externing all over the place, using all the knowledge and having left the classroom behind!

sounds like a good idea!!!!! if only i could find a 4th yr student hahah they are all in hiding!

so it looks like we lost our first classmate this week. i wonder what happened and who it was i hope that is the last person we lose!!

 

[GellaBella]

Ready to throw in the towel....

No you're not. You can do this. We lost 1 but the rest of us are getting through this together. dammit. It's hard as hell but its not impossible.

 

[quantized]

You guys have an attrition already? Wow keep your spirit up, you'll be fine!

 

[flyhi]

You guys have an attrition already? Wow keep your spirit up, you'll be fine!

We have too and we started late September. At least one dropped from the 4yr program and one from the 5yr.

 

[bunnity]

We have AT LEAST one person dropping out of our class. A lot of people are considering it.

 

[Braki]

We've had two people drop out, but they were both replaced. One girl dropped out in the first week (decided vet school was too clinical I believe, and she wanted to do academia) and was replaced, and another girl dropped out two and a half weeks in and was replaced.

I believe normally, our school has an attrition rate of <1 every four years.

 

[racccjlm]

Ughh I have considered it - but then I have to think how much I (we all) would be throwing away. It really sucks right now - but it's only three years of classes right?? I wish this freak out feeling that's taken hold over these past few weeks would just go away. Grumble grumble back to studying.

 

[Veracosa]

Good to see some familiar faces on here. I know you but I don't know you... strange though that is. Tobysgirl... I miss wine wed!! When will we have time again! And Veracosa, I am sure that I am out there sneaking cigarettes with you. Oh to know who you really are...

Ahh the "anonymity" of the internet! Lol.
I really wish I had discovered this website long before I started the school/application process; even in the short amount of time I was here doing my VMCAS it definitely helped me!
Especially considering that it seems some schools are better than others at introducing/transitioning new vet students into being vet students.

 

[rustysmom]

Third year at Michigan State here. Hang in there guys! It does get better and you will see the important stuff over and over. The material starts to become more clinically relevant and much more interesting.

Not going to lie - it does really, really, really, really suck at times. But, you will find your moment when you realize all of the frustration and late nights spent studying was worth it. My moment was the morning after my surgery group did our first spay and our dog jumped in my lap to give me a good morning kiss when I went to check on her.

Keep plugging away and first year will be over before you know it! Feel free to PM me if you need a pep talk too.

 

[racccjlm]

Third year at Michigan State here. Hang in there guys! It does get better and you will see the important stuff over and over. The material starts to become more clinically relevant and much more interesting.

Not going to lie - it does really, really, really, really suck at times. But, you will find your moment when you realize all of the frustration and late nights spent studying was worth it. My moment was the morning after my surgery group did our first spay and our dog jumped in my lap to give me a good morning kiss when I went to check on her.

Keep plugging away and first year will be over before you know it! Feel free to PM me if you need a pep talk too.

Hey much appreciated! Thanks Good to know there's a light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[HopefulAg]

You guys have an attrition already? Wow keep your spirit up, you'll be fine!

We've lost 4. 1 withdrew completely and the other three deferred at varying points.

 

[rustysmom]

Hey much appreciated! Thanks Good to know there's a light at the end of the tunnel!

You're welcome! There will be days/weeks when you swear that light is an oncoming train but you will make it through with the support of your classmates, family, and friends.

 

[katryn]

We've lost one to deferment over a family illness, but that was it. All of the rest of us seem to be plugging along at varying degrees of stability/panic.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

We were told that there is only one bar that we can go to in town as a vet school group because all of the previous classes got us banned from the other ones.

I highly doubt that....I just graduated in May and as far as I knew, we were welcome anywhere....We rented out almost all of PK's after graduation and routinely got together at Sharkey's, etc. Our class wasn't a huge party class though, so maybe someone else did it *shrug*.

 

[natalieises]

Good luck finding a happy yay 4th year. They are in clinics all day long and are constantly probed for information by the faculty and such.

I can't believe you guys have had so many drop out already! We haven't yet, let's hope we hang on to everyone.

 

[skittles12]

All of the rest of us seem to be plugging along at varying degrees of stability/panic.

I'm just going to throw this out there as the main source of stress and panic--CARDIOVASCULAR PHYSIOLOGY?!
For anyone in my class, I think this is enough said. Does everyone else feel totally lost/clueless? Especially after today?

 

[katryn]

I'm just going to throw this out there as the main source of stress and panic--CARDIOVASCULAR PHYSIOLOGY?!
For anyone in my class, I think this is enough said. Does everyone else feel totally lost/clueless? Especially after today?

I feel you on this one. Dr. T really screwed the pooch for us. Let's just hope that the blood section for test 5 goes more smoothly.

 

[Fookie Kat]

sounds like a good idea!!!!! if only i could find a 4th yr student hahah they are all in hiding!

so it looks like we lost our first classmate this week. i wonder what happened and who it was i hope that is the last person we lose!!

BK, we actually lost 2.

SOV-don't give up! It'll get better.

Bunnity, who are you? Lol.

 

[bunnity]

Who are YOU?
I'm BlacKat's histo lab partner...

 

[Lissarae06]

I'm just going to throw this out there as the main source of stress and panic--CARDIOVASCULAR PHYSIOLOGY?!
For anyone in my class, I think this is enough said. Does everyone else feel totally lost/clueless? Especially after today?

I LOVED cardiovascular physiology. We spent about 3 weeks on it and I miss it. Is your professor just confusing or something?

 

[katryn]

I LOVED cardiovascular physiology. We spent about 3 weeks on it and I miss it. Is your professor just confusing or something?

Our professor apparently has a bad habit of getting sick, and not letting anyone know she's not going to be there. We've had to rearrange our lecture schedule multiple times, and in the end had to have other professors come and guest lecture on the remaining subjects for this test because she hasn't been able to show up. I'm usually all for cutting sick people some slack, but from talking to the other classes she does this every year..... We ended up covering the last three topics today for the test on Monday, taught by three different professors all with three different teaching styles. It made the material today both overwhelming and confusing.

 

[Lissarae06]

Haha, she totally put me to sleep! Just knowing that the powerpoints had all the info on it made my eyes close and my brain drift off... Easy stuff, but wow, could not focus at all.

Yeah she was a little boring but I thought the content was really interesting. Maybe it's just because I have personal experience with most of it lol.

 

[alliecat44]

Good luck finding a happy yay 4th year. They are in clinics all day long and are constantly probed for information by the faculty and such.

Hey now, I'm a happy fourth year! And I'm not in clinics this week (though anesthesia the past few weeks made me want to cry and take my ball and go home) and about to start an AWESOME externship on Monday.

Trust me, guys--it's all worth it. It seems like every day drags on, but before you know it you'll be done with the semester...and then year 1 down...etc etc. Each semester goes by more quickly than the last and things start making SENSE after a few of them. And you're reassured because all that stuff you forgot from anatomy really doesn't matter anyway. It's so much fun actually "playing doctor" and knowing that it will be for real in a few short months...hang in there! You all can do it!!