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It's sad to hear that people are already falling out... after all that hard work to get this far! I hope it's all just a temporary hiatus, and that they come back again next year and prosper
CLASS OF 2014...how ya doing?
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BK, we actually lost 2.
SOV-don't give up! It'll get better.
I'm not so sure.
I've just had to use up so much of my limited energy on non-school related issues (marriage, health etc) that I feel severely handicapped at almost every turn.
Add to that the academic challenge that this part of vet school plays into my all my weaknesses (memorization, detail oriented rote learning) and none of my strengths (conceptual understanding, pattern recognition, analytics etc) and it is hard to envision any improvement.
Finally, and largely due to my personality disorder (ok a bit of an exaggeration, but it makes my point), I really feel isolated and I feel like I don't have anyone who is there for me academically or emotionally.
I've tried to maintain a good attitude, but that is getting increasingly difficult as I just manage to scrape by (or not from time to time). I don't think I am alone in any or all of these feelings but still, that doesn't seem to make it any easier for me to deal with.
I probably should just post this in the rant section and move on... Posting it at all is a bit out of character for me... but there you have it.
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This IS out of character for you! Which means, this must be getting pretty serious.
we just need to make it through this semester and then we can be more prepared next semester so we don't feel the same way.
I also feel like none of my strengths are being shown. I'm floating by though and I know you will too!! we're SOO close!
If you want to study, or eat lunch with me let me know!
Finally, since you are having these thoughts...you need to talk with ashra!!! i keep telling everyone this lol I bet her office is packed now. After I talked with her I felt much better. Also, the guy at the learning center is GREAT! (Pete). It is just really nice to talk with someone who has seen thousands of vet students go through the same thing each year so they understand every possible scenario.
In terms of getting better--i'm not sure either lol. But I'm just looking forward to next semester so I can study ahead more, not feel so anxious every day, and get a normal life going. I did hear though that in second year there are some exams that are not multiple choice--i think less rote memorization. well, i hope lol
are you dressing your dogs up tonight for happy hr costume contest??
EDIT- i forgot to mention another piece of advice. CRY! i think 90% of our class has admitted to crying, a lot lol. This always makes me feel better. sometimes, its just so hard and i feel like i'm never gonna get through it and i dont knw how to release my anxiety and then the tears just come out lol. I wondered how the dudes in our class were handling the stress....i dont think any of them have admitted to this. but its ok...u can secretly do it at home and then never tell anyone lol
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Hmmm. I have pretty much the most sensitive "tear glands" of anyone I have ever met. My eyes tear all the time. I can "cry" on demand. When I had lasix they said one side effect would probably be dry eye, and I was like "if only"! I should have been an actor for mushy love stories!
Ok... hold on a second... There. I squeezed out a few tears for you. Well, it did make me smile a little. Is that what was supposed to happen?
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lol i can never tell if you're serious or not online. but yes, it should make u feel better! i dont think it makes me smile that soon, but if that's all it takes to make you smile you are lucky!!
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Awww SOV! You should come study with BlacKat and I for the next exam (or me if B33 doesn't want to stay my study partner
). Rote memorization is not my cup of tea either. I'm used to having to think deeply and understand things, not just regurgitate information and (in my opinion) minutae.
I really try to make study time interactive and so far I think it is helping...not that I'm getting stellar grades...because I'm not ....but given the amount of time I'm studying I think I'm doing okay. It's important to talk it all out and write it on a wipe board and act it out if you need to (like B33 said before, she and I looked like we were doing the hokey pokey when we were studying anatomy a few weeks ago).
Just know that we ARE here for you even if it doesn't seem that way (i feel like i hardly ever see you!) and no one wants you to feel alone or depressed because we're all in the same situation. Seriously, come find me if you need someone to talk to. I will always listen and I will never judge (I'm the "counselor" type on my DiSC
) and I'll always try to find a way to make it work for everyone. It's what I do. I'm a troubleshooter and problem solver and EXPERT stress handler (thank you PhD).And for all the future PennWe's out there: I'm really enjoying school. I have it easier than the rest of my class, I don't have to take Biochem which is a huge deal (10 credits) so my life is much easier than theirs and I have more free time to myself and to spend with my fiance. I think I'm also at an advantage because I am not the "type A" personality that I think a lot of my class is. I roll with the punches and just keep going and I don't worry too much about my grades, or whether I'm getting an A or a C. Sure it would be nice to get As but I'm not going to kill myself or my relationships to get them. I thought that I failed (like hardcore failed) my anatomy exam, and to be honest, I probably should have because I didn't put enough time into it early on to really solidify what I was learning. As SOV can attest I am a severe procrastinator (though I don't come in late ALL the time
). Which is why I'm on here instead of reviewing Developmental Biology. Ok I got off track, my point was, I thought I failed and though I didn't do awesome, I did much better than I expected and I passed which was all I could have hoped for.I think another part of me enjoying school is just being back in school! After going through graduate school and having everything be so uncertain for so long (who knows when you'll graduate, who knows if this experiment will work, who knows when the paper will be published, who knows if you're on the right track or being completely mislead, who knows if you're studying an artifact, who knows if you made a mistake somewhere and didn't realize it etc etc), it is SO nice to just go to class, learn material, and have an exam on it and KNOW what my grades are and KNOW whether I'm moving ahead, whether I need to pick up my game, how long until Thanksgiving Vacation (26 days!), know that I get a winter break (unheard of in graduate school) etc. It's wonderful being so regimented! I know, I'm weird, but grad school is unstable and here all I have to do is pass and I move forward. That's nice.
Finally, and I know this is getting long, but for all future applicants (PennWe's and non-PennWe's alike) find out if you can get exemptions from classes and if you can, try to take some of those classes before you get to vet school! If I had known Penn granted exemptions I would have taken Histology and Developmental Biology back in graduate school! Although my classmates would probably revolt and kill me if I was exempt from everything but anatomy.
But SOV, B33, and everyone else - we can do this! I KNOW we can.
PennWe and non-PennWe love.ok. i guess i really need to go study Dev Biol now.
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Gella-yessssssssss i will never let you go!!! lol we can all study together and do the hokey pokey and write on ourselves...or maybe just use the white board. but i do love studying with people more than myself because when it comes to memorizing i need to say it out loud without looking at my notes. ps- u suck because i dont have a bchm study partner!!! haha oya but did i tell u i got a tutor and she is soo nice. it is like having another friend to study with and "test me" she is also very encouraging like u! i just wish i had her earlier because we havent had time to go over many of the lectures yet
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How we roll... Yeah. I really thought I'd resent and hate this level of structure being imposed on my life after grad school, but it ends up being a lot less stressful IMO, for the reasons you mentioned. We had a lecture in our Doctoring course about mental well-being, and the instructor quoted a study that said that 50-85% of medical students felt like they were being taken advantage of or abused. But to be honest, relative to graduate school, veterinary school (at least here at UC Davis) is being treated like freaking royalty.
Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of material and it doesn't really slow down, and it's up to us to keep up with it. But at least there's consistent evaluation and a big support network.
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Hey GB, sorry if this is a bit OT, but what qualifies you for an exemption for a class? Do undergrad classes count (ie, I need to take a developmental biology course next semester-4 credits and I already took a 4 credit biochem)?? For some reason, I'm assuming that that only pertains to grad level courses, but that would be totally awesome if I didn't need to suffer through biochem again
Wishful thinking 
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Hey GB, sorry if this is a bit OT, but what qualifies you for an exemption for a class? Do undergrad classes count (ie, I need to take a developmental biology course next semester-4 credits and I already took a 4 credit biochem)?? For some reason, I'm assuming that that only pertains to grad level courses, but that would be totally awesome if I didn't need to suffer through biochem again
biochem---you can TRY to get exempt by doing an oral exam
otherwise, go get a phd lolAnatomy (no chance in hell lol unless you took the full course from a vet school already)
For the other courses: Dev Bio, Histology : Most people get except just from taking it. I did hear a couple people who were not allowed exemption from Dev Bio because their course wasnt as focused or something like that. Basically, you provide the professors with old exams, text book, and transcript and they evaluate it.
Some other classes for the second part of first year that you may qualify for exemption: nutrition, immunology, neuro. I have no clue how hard/easy it is to get out of these...but they are possibilities. (oh, i did hear that nutrition is super easy to get out of, so if your school doesn't offer it just take it online!)
Then i hear that anything after first year no one can be exempt from. So if you've taken pathology, microbiology, genetics...can't think of the others....its great you took it, but it won't help with exemptions
So if you don't know about this ahead of time it is basically random luck that you chose to take the right courses that will help you first year
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Just to clarify, what little hope B33 may have given you is too much hope on the biochem.biochem---you can TRY to get exempt by doing an oral exam
NO ONE has EVER passed the biochem exemption oral exam at Penn.
They really only exempt for a Phd in biochem or biochem related field.
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One piece of advice...
You need to accept that you will not likely ever feel "caught up". When you have term breaks, TAKE them. Relax (I know harder to say then do). Don't try to prepare ahead to be caught up. You resting and doing something you enjoy (remember those things called hobbies?) is much better for your mental health.
It is hard to do admittingly, but once I finally accepted the fact that I would likely not ever be fully "caught up" I felt/did much better. Just study at your normal pace for understanding (or memorizing if that is what you need to do) and when you are done (like when you read the same damn paragraph twice and you think you already read it but are not sure) sleep and move on to the next day. Remember, there is a reason you are there. You can do this!
You need to accept that you will not likely ever feel "caught up". When you have term breaks, TAKE them. Relax (I know harder to say then do). Don't try to prepare ahead to be caught up. You resting and doing something you enjoy (remember those things called hobbies?) is much better for your mental health.
It is hard to do admittingly, but once I finally accepted the fact that I would likely not ever be fully "caught up" I felt/did much better. Just study at your normal pace for understanding (or memorizing if that is what you need to do) and when you are done (like when you read the same damn paragraph twice and you think you already read it but are not sure) sleep and move on to the next day. Remember, there is a reason you are there. You can do this!
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Haha, I'm definitely not going to be one to break the tradition
I am soooo not a fan of biochem. I actually did learn a ton, but my grade in that class certainly didn't show it (my prof was the chair of our department, and while he is a cool guy, his tests were completely random)Keep your head up SOV! Do you have a DoS (Director of Studies, like an advisor) you can speak to? And we're always here for you if you need us.
And this is random and off-topic...
Anyone do anything weird/crazy for Halloween in class? I made about 150-170 orange and black animal sugar cookies and piped (very simple) chocolate skeletons on them (uhh.. I mean.. I was.. uhhh.. studying hard.. all week..?). Work hard, play hard, right? Well, since the big vet school Halloween party was last night, half the class didn't even show up for lecture this morning. I've never seen it so empty.
Anyway... This afternoon was the BEST part hands down. At the end of the practical class one of my classmates took off his shirt revealing the Spiderman costume he was wearing underneath, put on a Spiderman mask and ran out of the room saying he needed to save the world. Best thing ever and most memorable event since I moved to Edinburgh. Everyone was busting up laughing, even the teacher who is unenthusiastic about everything.
Very small sample of some of the cookies...
Happy Halloween!
And this is random and off-topic...
Anyone do anything weird/crazy for Halloween in class? I made about 150-170 orange and black animal sugar cookies and piped (very simple) chocolate skeletons on them (uhh.. I mean.. I was.. uhhh.. studying hard.. all week..?). Work hard, play hard, right? Well, since the big vet school Halloween party was last night, half the class didn't even show up for lecture this morning. I've never seen it so empty.
Anyway... This afternoon was the BEST part hands down. At the end of the practical class one of my classmates took off his shirt revealing the Spiderman costume he was wearing underneath, put on a Spiderman mask and ran out of the room saying he needed to save the world. Best thing ever and most memorable event since I moved to Edinburgh. Everyone was busting up laughing, even the teacher who is unenthusiastic about everything.
Very small sample of some of the cookies...
Happy Halloween!
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Holy carp, that is a buttload of cookies! They look fantastic too! Nice work!
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awesome cookies!!
i just got back from our dog/human costume contest. my favorite was this little pug (actually kind of chubby pug who wobbled) and was dorthy with the dress..and little red booties lol
when pics go up ill post them!
i just got back from our dog/human costume contest. my favorite was this little pug (actually kind of chubby pug who wobbled) and was dorthy with the dress..and little red booties lol
when pics go up ill post them!
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One piece of advice...
You need to accept that you will not likely ever feel "caught up". When you have term breaks, TAKE them. Relax (I know harder to say then do). Don't try to prepare ahead to be caught up. You resting and doing something you enjoy (remember those things called hobbies?) is much better for your mental health.
It is hard to do admittingly, but once I finally accepted the fact that I would likely not ever be fully "caught up" I felt/did much better. Just study at your normal pace for understanding (or memorizing if that is what you need to do) and when you are done (like when you read the same damn paragraph twice and you think you already read it but are not sure) sleep and move on to the next day. Remember, there is a reason you are there. You can do this!
this is good advice. i guess i know i'll never feel caught up...i just want to get an avg score because then i'll feel...well, average hahaha. being below avg in everything makes me worry. granted..im passing!! haha but yes, my parents gave me some money and told me to plan a winter vacation because i need it
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Very small sample of some of the cookies...
Oh chii, always making me regret not going to Edinburgh. I see how it's going to be.
So I take it they celebrate Halloween in the UK? I never really thought about it before but I guess it makes sense that they would. It's not that weird over there.
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Our class is in the home-stretch of the academic semester - 2.5 weeks of class and 1 week of finals, Thanksgiving break, then 2 weeks of selectives. I think we're all feeling the impending doom of those exams and are doing our best to keep up. The stress level isn't too bad right now, but I can see it really kicking up a notch in about a week. Still, our class is 100% intact right now (no attrition yet), pretty much NO drama to speak of, and only a couple of hard-core stressors. Overall, it's been a great first semester, and we can't believe how fast it goes!
And that horrific anatomy exam we were all peeved about? Didn't turn out as bad as we thought. School is like that sometimes. You can be totally wrong at anticipating something or have a wrong reaction to an event.
And that horrific anatomy exam we were all peeved about? Didn't turn out as bad as we thought. School is like that sometimes. You can be totally wrong at anticipating something or have a wrong reaction to an event.
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Haha I felt kind of stupid about how angry I was about that exam when I got my grade back. I was in such a bad mood and yelled at both my fiance and my mom that night.... then when I told them my grade they gave me a hard time. I deserved it!
On another note... I second pretty much everything Nittanykitty said. I have been super impressed with our class so far. We are a pretty young class so I could see there being a lot of drama, but there really has been very little. Everyone pretty much gets along and we actually have A LOT of fun!
I think I am actually less stressed out than I was in undergrad... my undergrad bio classes were pretty intense and all the pre-med students were VERY competitive so that was kind of stressful. Our class is the opposite of competative, everyone really wants to help everyone else out, and I guess undergrad prepared me well because I am actually making better grades now than I did then.
I do study a TON though... and there are some aspects of my life that are suffering a little for it... laundry gets done when i totally run out of something necessary, I manage to take my dog on at least one 30-40 minute walk a day but otherwise working out has been non-existent, and I rarely ever have time to cook a good meal, but so far there are more things that I really love about vet school than things I hate about vet school... so I'll count that as a success!
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Very small sample of some of the cookies...
Happy Halloween!
Thanks chii!
More importantly, where is the order form for these cookies? My stomach is growling just looking at them.
And they look amazing.
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I'm going to steal that cookie idea for when Bio society has their next bakesale
Sooo cute.
Sooo cute.
I agree with pretty much everything Nittanykitty and laurauva2009 said about our class (and that anatomy exam). I was also kind of disappointed with my grade on that anatomy exam initially but when I actually thought about it - it's better than it could have been.
But yeah, I love our class. I'm really enjoying vet school and I think a good part of that is because of the people I'm around everyday.
Thanks guys! The cookies were a hit and if I had more time than the 2 hour lunch break I used to decorate them I would have put more detail into them. Got the skeleton idea from: http://melyndahuskey.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/halloween-sweetness-only-two-months-late/ Let me know if you want the recipe for the sugar cookie I used. Simple ingredients, super easy to make, and super yummy.
Though the molasses cookies I made for mole day (2 Fridays ago but technically it was the 23rd, Saturday) were apparently people's favorites so far. Anyone happen to have a recipe for Samoas? I want to try to make those as well. I have a good recipe for thin mints already.
Sorry SOV, no order form. Baking depends on my boredom level and work load. Seems to be directly proportional to both.. hmm.... I probably won't bake for a few weeks though.
Hmmm.. sounds like a personal problem. Not my intention though. I just enjoy baking.
The cookies were a hit and if I had more time than the 2 hour lunch break I used to decorate them I would have put more detail into them. Got the skeleton idea from: http://melyndahuskey.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/halloween-sweetness-only-two-months-late/ Let me know if you want the recipe for the sugar cookie I used. Simple ingredients, super easy to make, and super yummy.Though the molasses cookies I made for mole day (2 Fridays ago but technically it was the 23rd, Saturday) were apparently people's favorites so far. Anyone happen to have a recipe for Samoas? I want to try to make those as well. I have a good recipe for thin mints already.
Sorry SOV, no order form. Baking depends on my boredom level and work load. Seems to be directly proportional to both.. hmm.... I probably won't bake for a few weeks though.
Hmmm.. sounds like a personal problem.
Not my intention though. I just enjoy baking.
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I don't think sedation will help your cause, HopelessAg.
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Mocking the holy anatomy book is slanderous, sacrilegious, and tempting fate. Treat it with proper respect and ...
Ah, f*** it, I hate that book.
Ah, f*** it, I hate that book.
I didn't use Millers. I brought Pasquini and I bought Done for anatomy, which now are just collecting dust since we're on Immuno/Inflammation/Parasitology/Bacteriology/Virology for this module. Next module is physio. (Not sure why they did it in that order.) So I don't think I will be needing that book, thanks. What's so bad about Millers anyway? I loved the books that I used.
BTW Nyanko, I love the status beneath your username.
What's so bad about Millers anyway? I loved the books that I used.BTW Nyanko, I love the status beneath your username.
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speaking of books...what books are you guys using for the horse/goat dissection?? Besides Pasquini because I have that book but I'm talking about a dissection guide. We are using 2 guides that our professors made but they haven't been officially published for everyone yet because they say it is still in the works. And yes, they definitely needs to be improvements lol. So what are you guys using??
I think we're using the one published by the doctor that used to be in charge of our anatomy class. He still teaches but isn't the course director anymore. Good ol' Dr. C...
http://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Dissection-Guide-Large-Animals/dp/0813803195
I'm not totally sure though because it sounds like it wasn't being published for a while so I'm not sure it will be super easy for everyone to get a copy unless our bookstore orders a batch.
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Aw, SOV! I know it can be tough, but you just gotta keep on truckin'! It's hard balancing relationships/school/pets/other things. I've been going to NY every weekend to visit my boyfriend/dogs and it's definitely time consuming. Also, Ashra is a wonderful person to talk to about this. I was freaking out the day before the anatomy practical exam and she made me feel much better. Do you want to form a study group? Maybe that will make school more enjoyable. See you tomorrow in Rosenthal.
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I just want to say that I love Physical Diagnosis lab. A 6 week old kitten that plays with my stethoscope is such a great stress reliever.
Too bad we don't have it next semester!
Too bad we don't have it next semester!
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I just want to say that I love Physical Diagnosis lab. A 6 week old kitten that plays with my stethoscope is such a great stress reliever.
Too bad we don't have it next semester!
I'm jealous, I was on parasitology last week, so I haven't gotten to play with the puppies and kittens yet.....
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One more month and then I finally get to sleep in ! I have never been so tired in my life. If you had told me a couple weeks ago that I would be in the anatomy lab until 2:30 in the morning studying for a test, I would not have believed you. Hopefully the grade turns out to be worth all that time.
! I have never been so tired in my life. If you had told me a couple weeks ago that I would be in the anatomy lab until 2:30 in the morning studying for a test, I would not have believed you. Hopefully the grade turns out to be worth all that time.- Joined
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Nice! Congratulations!
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1 week until we're done with fall academic classes
2 weeks until we're done with fall finals.
4.5 weeks until we're done with the fall semester.
Definitely NOT ready for any of those exams coming up, but I can't wait for break!!!
Also, neuroanatomy sucks. Big time.
2 weeks until we're done with fall finals.
4.5 weeks until we're done with the fall semester.
Definitely NOT ready for any of those exams coming up, but I can't wait for break!!!
Also, neuroanatomy sucks. Big time.
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First practical today (anatomy and histo). I feel violated.... haha. Midterms SUCK
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so you didn't just smack it on the ass?
Well I did smack it on the ass, but what concerns me is I think it liked it. Afterwords it was like "haha, very funny bitch, now learn the head and all the foramen associated with the skull!"
Anatomy is such a crude subject.
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haha, so true. Esp because you learn all the foramina in the dog skull and then you look at the horse and bovine skulls and realize that some deity out there decided to jab its finger into the holes, mush them around and connect them together.
So... what are you doing for 2.5 weeks after finals?
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NC State has two weeks of "selectives" at the close of each semester. Students choose from a catalog of dozens of courses that range from veterinary business to horse handling to fish medicine to avian pathology to immunohistochemistry to just about anything. I'm pretty sure they're all on a pass/fail system, so we are basically just choosing things that interest us and are learning for fun! No exams!
We get to enjoy our Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations without stressing over school this way.
