First/second year vet students: advice for novelist

[AKC]

Hello, all. I'm working on a novel and my 23-year-old protagonist is between her first and second years of vet school (that is, it takes place in August, right before her second year is to begin). I was hoping to pose a couple questions that anybody with this experience would be able to answer! That said, I'll bullet them below, and hope to hear/read some posts. I know y'all are crazy busy so I really do appreciate any feedback.

* My protag is not from a wealthy background -- assuming loans, grants, some parental support, her own savings, etc. How would she be able to support herself during this first year? Is the first year of vet school too abominably hard to hold down a job? AND/OR, would she be strongly encouraged to find a job somewhere in the field (e.g., a job at a kennel is better than a Starbucks)?

* How would she spend this first summer? Would there be classes, labs, conferences, etc. or is it plausible for her to NOT be studying but instead be, say, holding down two to three jobs to earn money for school?

* I'm still working on pinning down an actual schedule of classes/labs, when students do what, etc. I also have to figure out if she's on the quarter or semester system.

But these are my primary questions at present. Thank you for reading and (hopefully) for answering.

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[MassDVMMPH]

Hello, all. I'm working on a novel and my 23-year-old protagonist is between her first and second years of vet school (that is, it takes place in August, right before her second year is to begin). I was hoping to pose a couple questions that anybody with this experience would be able to answer! That said, I'll bullet them below, and hope to hear/read some posts. I know y'all are crazy busy so I really do appreciate any feedback.

* My protag is not from a wealthy background -- assuming loans, grants, some parental support, her own savings, etc. How would she be able to support herself during this first year? Is the first year of vet school too abominably hard to hold down a job? AND/OR, would she be strongly encouraged to find a job somewhere in the field (e.g., a job at a kennel is better than a Starbucks)?

* How would she spend this first summer? Would there be classes, labs, conferences, etc. or is it plausible for her to NOT be studying but instead be, say, holding down two to three jobs to earn money for school?

* I'm still working on pinning down an actual schedule of classes/labs, when students do what, etc. I also have to figure out if she's on the quarter or semester system.

But these are my primary questions at present. Thank you for reading and (hopefully) for answering.

She would be supporting herself on loans during her first year. The Federal government allows loans to be taken out to cover the full cost of tuition and living expenses while in vet school. That said, most vet students finish their first year sometime in May and return to school in either August or September. The summer is usually spent trying to gain both money and experience, so ideally she would be working as a vet assistant in a vet practice, but if she could not land a job like that, she would likely be working somewhere to earn money and either volunteering or shadowing to gain experience. Most students do not attempt to work while vet school is in session - yes, it is that abominably hard - though I do know of a few kids in my vet school class who had part-time jobs while in school. These were jobs that consisted of 4-6 hours per week at most and allowed for studying while on the job (e.g. convenience store clerk or working in the vet school library).

 

[KCgophervet]

Like stated, loans for the primary stuff. I did work a job all through my first year, got another over the summer and am working both part time for second year. That being said, the most hours I had first year were two 5 hour evening shifts a week (and only when no exams were looming on the horizon) and same for this year (maybe up to 16). I worked in vet-related fields though so gaining experience, contacts, and a modest amount of money to help pay for things like groceries.

Where you would work totally depends on the person. If you need more vet related experience, want to make contacts in your specific area of interest, etc, then yes by all means find a job in that department. If you just want to earn as much money as possible to try to cut down on the amount of loans to take out, then get a good waitressing gig or a job that might pay better. If you can manage to find a related job that pays well, then you win!

Summer is spent doing whatever you think is best for your future. If you need money, you work your butt off. If you think experience and contacts are more important, you might spend a lot of time volunteering or shadowing or what have you. No classes or labs though typically, unless going for a dual degree or there's a summer elective (for example my Zoo Topics elective went throughout the summer, getting to accompany the local zoo vet on her weekly rounds at the zoo).

Schedule is 8am-5pm, M-F sitting on your butt in lecture halls, staring at microscopes, occasionally chasing around cows and restraining stuffed animals, and dissecting (living) in the anatomy lab. First year in a nutshell

 

[dyachei]

Hello, all. I'm working on a novel and my 23-year-old protagonist is between her first and second years of vet school (that is, it takes place in August, right before her second year is to begin). I was hoping to pose a couple questions that anybody with this experience would be able to answer! That said, I'll bullet them below, and hope to hear/read some posts. I know y'all are crazy busy so I really do appreciate any feedback.

* My protag is not from a wealthy background -- assuming loans, grants, some parental support, her own savings, etc. How would she be able to support herself during this first year? Is the first year of vet school too abominably hard to hold down a job? AND/OR, would she be strongly encouraged to find a job somewhere in the field (e.g., a job at a kennel is better than a Starbucks)?

* How would she spend this first summer? Would there be classes, labs, conferences, etc. or is it plausible for her to NOT be studying but instead be, say, holding down two to three jobs to earn money for school?

* I'm still working on pinning down an actual schedule of classes/labs, when students do what, etc. I also have to figure out if she's on the quarter or semester system.

But these are my primary questions at present. Thank you for reading and (hopefully) for answering.

She would support herself on loans. Most vet students don't hold a job in the usual sense but there are representative positions for students, lab positions, and ICU or tech type jobs available. They tend to be at least somewhat competitive. While most people try to stay in the field for experience and connections, it's not unheard of to have another type of job. It is just more difficult since they tend to be less sympathetic for the hours and tests that you have in vet school.

She can spend her summer however she wants first year. Basically, she could work 2-3 jobs if desired. There aren't typically classes or labs. There are some week-long conferences and opportunities available to students over the summer.

Most of the vet schools are on a semester system, but it depends on the school (and therefore your setting). Most vet schools will have the curriculum up on their webpages

 

[AKC]

This is really, really helpful. Thanks to all of you!

 

[slfamzie]

I'm sure you could find a schedule on a vet school's website. I'm fairly certain LSU has ours on their site.