Current Undergrad Student

[PreVetGator]

I understand this may be a bit early to worry, but I saw this forum and figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.
I'm currently a first semester freshman at UF and I'm not doing too great. I believe I'll finish the semester with 3 A's, and B+ and a C, and therefore, will have around a 3.3 GPA. This GPA to me seems very low and I'm worried that I did badly in the classes that matter (Pre-Calc - C and an Intro Chem class - B+) and that this will affect me. I'm still adjusting to the college pace and I'm worried this will negatively impact me in the future.

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[hazelmoo]

One C your freshman year is not bad at all, especially with 3 As and a B. See if you maintain an upward trend the rest of college. Even with 3 or 4 C's you could still get into veterinary school. Try not to get any more, but if you do, it's not the end of the wolrd. You're doing a good job so far, don't worry!

Get lots of experience and make sure to pick a professor or 2 in classes you enjoy to create a relationship with (go to office hours, ask questions, etc). Then it will be easier to get a letter of rec when you need it. Good luck!

 

[PreVetGator]

One C your freshman year is not bad at all, especially with 3 As and a B. See if you maintain an upward trend the rest of college. Even with 3 or 4 C's you could still get into veterinary school. Try not to get any more, but if you do, it's not the end of the wolrd. You're doing a good job so far, don't worry!

Get lots of experience and make sure to pick a professor or 2 in classes you enjoy to create a relationship with (go to office hours, ask questions, etc). Then it will be easier to get a letter of rec when you need it. Good luck!

I gained some vet experience in high school already, but it was through an internship program in my school - I never had to actually ask places myself and I mostly just worked with the techs. How do you recommend getting experience with the DVMs? When I shadowed before, I did watch procedures but I mostly just tagged along with the tech's instead of the doctors. Is this how most internships go?

 

[VetMedVetMed]

I gained some vet experience in high school already, but it was through an internship program in my school - I never had to actually ask places myself and I mostly just worked with the techs. How do you recommend getting experience with the DVMs? When I shadowed before, I did watch procedures but I mostly just tagged along with the tech's instead of the doctors. Is this how most internships go?

Try and see if you can get a job part time as a vet assistant if you don't have experience as a technician yet. Try and work only on the weekends so you can still focus on maintaining good grades and take classes during the week. If you start as a vet assistant, eventually hopefully they will cross-train you to then work as a technician. Start getting experience now, that way when you get to the upper level courses, you can focus on school a lot more and work less. It is really hard once you take the upper level courses all at once to maintain working 3o hours a week, or even 15-20 hours.

 

[Starry-chan]

Try and see if you can get a job part time as a vet assistant if you don't have experience as a technician yet. Try and work only on the weekends so you can still focus on maintaining good grades and take classes during the week. If you start as a vet assistant, eventually hopefully they will cross-train you to then work as a technician. Start getting experience now, that way when you get to the upper level courses, you can focus on school a lot more and work less. It is really hard once you take the upper level courses all at once to maintain working 3o hours a week, or even 15-20 hours.

How common are part time vet tech positions? Anybody know?

 

[VetMedVetMed]

How common are part time vet tech positions? Anybody know?

More common than you think. If you are just starting out and want to work at an animal hospital, you can always volunteer first which a lot of times leads to a paid position if they like you. Lots of places will hire people part time if they really like you and know that you'll stay there long term. If you show you are hard working, willing to learn, and determined, people will take that chance on you. If you start out working more at first, you can always cut back a little after you've worked there a while (if you need to in order to take classes and still do well on school). My first job at an animal hospital I got because they really liked me (not to toot my own horn), but I literally had no experience other than volunteering at animal shelters. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but it has worked for many! Also friends/Prevet classmates who work at animal hospitals can always put in a good word for you too if their hospital is hiring.

 

[Starry-chan]

More common than you think. If you are just starting out and want to work at an animal hospital, you can always volunteer first which a lot of times leads to a paid position if they like you. Lots of places will hire people part time if they really like you and know that you'll stay there long term. If you show you are hard working, willing to learn, and determined, people will take that chance on you. If you start out working more at first, you can always cut back a little after you've worked there a while (if you need to in order to take classes and still do well on school). My first job at an animal hospital I got because they really liked me (not to toot my own horn), but I literally had no experience other than volunteering at animal shelters. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but it has worked for many! Also friends/Prevet classmates who work at animal hospitals can always put in a good word for you too if their hospital is hiring.

How did you go about volunteering? Just walk in and tell the person at the reception desk?

 

[VetMedVetMed]

How did you go about volunteering? Just walk in and tell the person at the reception desk?

I've volunteered at a few places, and each was different. One I emailed saying that I was a Prevet student and asked if they take volunteers. I stated in the email the days I was completely free and said something like "I can come in anytime on one of these days so we can meet in person!" I emailed a few others actually and name dropped, and then they jumped on me volunteering. Other places I walked in, and dressed nicely, and brought in my resume. The receptionist job I first got I found through Craigslist. Anywhere you email, always address the owners name and the managers name if it is a generic email and not the person's personal email. When I went in person, I asked to speak with the manager and then introduced myself and handed them my resume.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

How common are part time vet tech positions? Anybody know?

Depends. The clinics I've worked for all had either one tech, or no tech at all. So those techs worked 5 days a week. I'd imagine larger clinics would allow for more flexibility when it comes to part time work, but it all depends on the clinic's needs.