Current vet students: In my undergrad years, what should I focus on REALLY understanding now?

[bronzebluemoo]

To elaborate, should I focus on understanding what I specifically learn in nutrition? Or have you found that your experience in anatomy helped the most in vet school? Or maybe even general chemistry?
Thanks!

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[Minnerbelle]

Physiology is helpful, comparative anatomy helped too (not so much for vet school anatomy, but in understanding physiology). Immuno is great to have basic understanding of. Otherwise not much else. Just having a general understanding of how the body works is what I would strive for. Don't even bother trying to get ahead with vet school curriculum. It will be super useless.

Even vet school anatomy is pretty useless in terms of the amount of detail they make you learn only to forget 90% of it because you don't need it.

 

[twelvetigers]

I would focus on getting good grades in the required courses and getting some neat veterinary experience. Maybe some foundation helps for concepts, but you really start building a whole new house in vet school so I would focus more on what it would take to get in.

And do stuff you like, too.

 

[jmo1012]

perhaps not the academic advice you're looking for, but i'd focus on learning that there is more to life than school and studying.

 

[wildcatj]

Nothing I learned in undergrad has been nearly as helpful as the veterinary experience I got during that time. When you've seen some disease in practice then you have something to connect underlying processes to which is SO helpful in understanding the concepts better. Honestly, stuff you learn in undergrad is going to be mostly useless. I've had a few classes that have been helpful (genetics, biochem would have been if I remembered anything, anatomy/phys), but it only gets you so far as things might be a little less foreign. You're probably not going to remember enough details nor will you have gone into enough depth to help you that much on exams and what not. It might just give you a tiny leg up, but not much.
So my advice, get great grades because a poor GPA is the hardest thing to overcome with admissions and focus on getting some really great clinical experience.

 

[DVMDream]

If I had to pick some undergrad classes that may have helped a bit I would say: Biochem, Cell Biology, Anatomy, Physiology. To be honest, anatomy is probably at the bottom of that. It helped in a "these terms aren't so foreign to me" type of way. I can promise you that I don't recall a lot of anatomy currently. Cell Biology/Biochem are good ones for understanding some pharmacology and some of the metabolism processes of physiology. Then physiology was just nice because I had a nice overview and a few "oh yea, I remember that moments" in vet school. But nothing I learned in undergrad really gave me a massive "edge" or anything like that. The depth you cover in vet school is way more than any undergrad class you will ever take.

I can tell you that my experiences in the vet clinic have helped out much more so far.

 

[SocialStigma]

Taking anatomy, physiology, and immunology in undergrad helped me immensely in vet school in that I caught on much quicker when introduced to those subjects again and there wasn't as much of a learning curve. Really I would just focus on getting good grades though and enjoying undergrad!

 

[Rainheart]

The most helpful thing so far in vet school for me has been working in a clinic for 6 years... undergrad classes really didn't offer too much of a greater understanding (maybe Physiology of Repro, but I love repro...).

 

[DVMDream]

(maybe Physiology of Repro, but I love repro...).

 

[JaynaAli]

I agree that things you pick up working at a clinic can be extremely helpful. Other than that, the classes that helped me out most were related to my animal science undergrad degree and not direct vet school prereqs. My animal reproduction course helped immensely in therio. Other than that one class though, not much was very useful.

 

[dyachei]

Learn how to get comfortable looking up studies, too - that should be in any basic science class. It's the most important tool I picked up. That and seriously follow TT's advice about making time for yourself

 

[lailanni]

Nothing I learned in undergrad has been nearly as helpful as the veterinary experience I got during that time. When you've seen some disease in practice then you have something to connect underlying processes to which is SO helpful in understanding the concepts better. Honestly, stuff you learn in undergrad is going to be mostly useless. I've had a few classes that have been helpful (genetics, biochem would have been if I remembered anything, anatomy/phys), but it only gets you so far as things might be a little less foreign. You're probably not going to remember enough details nor will you have gone into enough depth to help you that much on exams and what not. It might just give you a tiny leg up, but not much.
So my advice, get great grades because a poor GPA is the hardest thing to overcome with admissions and focus on getting some really great clinical experience.

+1

Nothing is really going to give you an edge in vet school, it'll just make things seem slightly less foreign for the first 2 weeks of that class. My vet experience was way more relevant in connecting cases to the medicine I was learning. Things will make a lot more sense if you've seen it in a clinical context. You'll also feel a little more confident in clinics.

What you really should focus on is figuring out your learning style and how to optimize it. Get to know how you learn best. You're going to need to absorb a huge volume of info in very little time, so having a tried and true way to mass learn is going to be your best weapon. In that sense, science classes that are difficult for you are going to be your best lessons: how did you conquer confusing topics? How did you adapt your study methods to improve?

 

[orca2011]

Class wise, I wish I had taken some sort of Physio class because that was just a bit overwhelming. Other than that, any classes I had taken in undergrad were pretty much covered within one exam in the first semester of vet school. I do agree with Lailanni that figuring out how you learn best is crucial (I didn't figure it out until Jr year of college and it's changed a bit for vet school too).

Honestly, take classes that interest you in addition to your pre-reqs. My Entomology class was by far one of my favorite classes in undergrad. I also took piano for a semester and that was a blast.

And follow JMO's advice. Join clubs or IM sports. GO abroad! ( but seriously, do it. I wouldn't trade my abroad experience for anything) Get involved in service trips/programs. They are some of my most memorable and humbling experiences. And just enjoy college. Yeah it's school, but it's also a place to learn about yourself, have a ton of fun and make some awesome friendships. Stay focused on your future goals but don't let life pass you by either.

 

[StartingoverVet]

+1

Nothing is really going to give you an edge in vet school, it'll just make things seem slightly less foreign for the first 2 weeks of that class. My vet experience was way more relevant in connecting cases to the medicine I was learning. Things will make a lot more sense if you've seen it in a clinical context. You'll also feel a little more confident in clinics.

What you really should focus on is figuring out your learning style and how to optimize it. Get to know how you learn best. You're going to need to absorb a huge volume of info in very little time, so having a tried and true way to mass learn is going to be your best weapon. In that sense, science classes that are difficult for you are going to be your best lessons: how did you conquer confusing topics? How did you adapt your study methods to improve?

OT: Hi @lailanni

I wouldn't worry too much about "what" to learn.... just concentrate on learning whatever.
Anything you pick up will make you a little more comfortable but nothing you pick up will make a huge difference.
Very zen.

The more you are exposed to stuff, the more familiar it will seem, and that is nice.

 

[LetItSnow]

I'm with lailanni... focus on developing disciplined study skills that allow you to rapidly absorb, understand, and integrate information.

I can't really think of any specific 'subject' that I learned as an undergrad that's really impacted vet school in any significant way.

I'm also on board with the advice to make life bigger than just school. There's fun stuff to do. And there's worthwhile things to do to contribute to the community around you. And, as a bonus, vet school like to see those things on applications. So, be in some clubs. Take a leadership position. Find some volunteer activity. Have some fun.

And keep your GPA up.

 

[DVMDream]

I'm with lailanni... focus on developing disciplined study skills that allow you to rapidly absorb, understand, and integrate information.

We're supposed to study.... crap.

 

[Gwenevre]

We're supposed to study.... crap.

I've been falling asleep on my books. Isn't that how osmosis works?

 

[DVMDream]

I've been falling asleep on my books. Isn't that how osmosis works?

Osmosis has to do with water. I think you are looking for diffusion.

 

[Gwenevre]

Osmosis has to do with water. I think you are looking for diffusion.

Well shoot

 

[jmo1012]

Osmosis has to do with water. I think you are looking for diffusion.

took the words right out of my mouth!

 

[dovelover]

I've been falling asleep on my books. Isn't that how osmosis works?

We had this poster in my third grade classroom:

 

[DVMDream]

We had this poster in my third grade classroom:
View attachment 182819

That picture is wrong. Wrrrooonnggg!

 

[that redhead]

I can barely remember what I learned in third year, let alone undergrad. I'm sure other people are different (and I know I've already expressed this view 'round these parts) but having a solid foundation of clinical skills has been the one thing I looked back and thought, "Wow, I'm really glad I already knew how to do this."

 

[LetItSnow]

I can barely remember what I learned in third year

Amen. Every time a clinician says "C'mon, we covered this in class, you should remember it!" I have to consciously prevent myself from rolling my eyes.

 

[dovelover]

I have to say I crammed for most of my exams in undergrad in remember very little of the specifics. The value of your undergrad courses is more becoming familiar with the subjects, learning how to study, learning how to think scientifically, learning how to look up scientific journal articles. Knowing the basic biology is important, they gloss over a lot of basic biochem and cell bio assuming that you know it. But you'll pick that stuff up pretty easily just by seeing it again and again in your courses. As others have said, physiology, anatomy, immuno, biochem, genetics are good classes to have a pretty good handle on so that the subjects are more familiar in vet school, but you mostly won't remember the details and don't need to.

 

[Coquette22]

If I'm picking specific classes that I was glad I took it'd be histology (human, but there's a lot of overlap), biochemistry and stats. Stats is the only pre-req out of those three, though I know a lot of schools require biochem too. Be comfortable working with numbers - nothing complicated, just solving for variables. It helps with drug dosages, fluid rates, etc if you can easily rearrange equations. Embryology/developmental biology would have been useful, but lots of us managed to survive vet school embryo without it.

 

[swingnsave]

I have to say I crammed for most of my exams in undergrad in remember very little of the specifics. The value of your undergrad courses is more becoming familiar with the subjects, learning how to study, learning how to think scientifically, learning how to look up scientific journal articles. Knowing the basic biology is important, they gloss over a lot of basic biochem and cell bio assuming that you know it. But you'll pick that stuff up pretty easily just by seeing it again and again in your courses. As others have said, physiology, anatomy, immuno, biochem, genetics are good classes to have a pretty good handle on so that the subjects are more familiar in vet school, but you mostly won't remember the details and don't need to.

L

 

[lailanni]

OT: Hi @lailanni

OT - Hiya back!!

Oh, one thing you can also learn in undergrad: how to cook easy meals that will provide many leftovers

 

[Rainheart]

Ask me again when I have therio in a bit over a year and I may change my mind... lol. It's a killer class at Mizzou right before we enter clinics.