I salute you guys!

[FantasyVesperia]

I never knew this was going to be so hard, the whole pre-vet journey and the preparations needed. I've realized that I'm going have to take at least 19-21 credits a semester and at least three or four science courses a semester. I've managed to volunteer at a vet clinic/animal hotel on Saturdays, and I feel that's eating my time for studying and homework. As I'm preparing my schedule for the years to come, I start to feel uneasy lol. I'm a little hesitant on summer courses because of the money situation I'm in, but from here it looks like I will have to take some, unfortunately. I know this road wasn't going to be easy, but actually living it and participating in it first hand, I've come to the realization that maybe I overshot this one. The pressure is real and I feel like I'm too young to stress out like this lol. I'm scared that I'm going to burn out and really overwork myself. I just don't want to see my hard work seep through my fingers.

Any advice? How did you guys get through or going through undergrad?

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[orca2011]

Make room for fun and do things besides just studying/focusing on what you need for your vet med application. Yes, you want to do everything you can to put your best application out there the first time around, but college is about finding yourself and enjoying those 4 years. I definitely miss undergrad right now, so don't let it pass you by.

Join clubs. Do IM sports. Go on service trips. Party (or not party, whatever's your preference). GO ABROAD! Take random classes unrelated to your major as you might find a new interest/hobby and it lets you make friends in different social groups. And when I mention doing all this, also keep it balanced enough that your grades aren't suffering as it's harder to bring those up later on down the road, however that's only something you can figure out as you go along. Some people need to be super busy to stay on top of things, where others need a little less on their plate. It doesn't mean you're any less cut out for vet school.

 

[allieoop2714]

I definitely agree that you need to make time for yourself. The majority of my semesters were around 18 credits, which can be stressful, but eventually you get into a routine. Don't push yourself too hard, and don't be too hard on yourself. Just remember to have fun with it. Don't lose yourself in studying and pass up all the awesome opportunities that are offered to you. Despite all the stress from my classes, honors thesis, etc., undergrad was the most amazing experience ever

 

[Cephal0pod]

First-- deep breaths, friend It is definitely quite a bit of work, but it is feasible! As someone who is in their third year of the pre-vet fandango, my advice to you would be to be careful about over-committing yourself (budget time for homework!), know that it is okay and necessary to take time to rest (this one is closely tied to not over-committing yourself), be intentional about planning ahead and budgeting your time well, get help if you need it (there is absolutely no shame in this-- I had never needed a tutor before, but spent very substantial amounts of time in the math tutoring center at my school when I was in calc 2!). When things get crazy, don't panic-- take things one task, one assignment, one day at a time. As orca2011 said, don't forget to have some fun somewhere in there as well-- I went out on a limb and decided to take a swing dancing class this semester, and let me tell you, I am having an absolute blast! I have completely fallen in love with swing.

Best wishes!

 

[SummerTheLynx]

I never knew this was going to be so hard, the whole pre-vet journey and the preparations needed. I've realized that I'm going have to take at least 19-21 credits a semester and at least three or four science courses a semester. I've managed to volunteer at a vet clinic/animal hotel on Saturdays, and I feel that's eating my time for studying and homework. As I'm preparing my schedule for the years to come, I start to feel uneasy lol. I'm a little hesitant on summer courses because of the money situation I'm in, but from here it looks like I will have to take some, unfortunately. I know this road wasn't going to be easy, but actually living it and participating in it first hand, I've come to the realization that maybe I overshot this one. The pressure is real and I feel like I'm too young to stress out like this lol. I'm scared that I'm going to burn out and really overwork myself. I just don't want to see my hard work seep through my fingers.

Any advice? How did you guys get through or going through undergrad?

So, my first piece of advice is to really sit down and think about your schedule. So, maybe I have just had a very different experience than everyone else, but there shouldn't be much of a reason that you would need to do 19-21 credits a semester in order to be able to get through undergrad for pre-vet. As a double major, taking every pre-req, and fulfilling BS requirements for the bio major and 30 credits for a BA in music, I came out to average about 16 a semester (first 6 semesters with 97 credits). This may be part of your problem... If you would like any help with trying to format schedules, such that they are more manageable, feel free to shoot me a pm (I am pretty decent at it given that I have been working through the Dean's office as a pre-vet adviser for the past 2 years).

With regards to taking a lot of science courses during a semester, I personally believe that this is something that every undergrad pre-vet should do. Granted, I think you probably would not have to do 4 every semester with proper planning, and I believe that doing something non-science in undergrad helps to keep you well rounded and sane, but you have to understand that once you are in vet school, it's going to be full throttle science. Thus 3-4 science classes shouldn't be the worst thing ever, even though it can certainly be difficult!

With regards to summer courses, I feel that they are occasionally necessary, but moreso when your school doesn't offer a class/offers it only during a non fall/spring term. Its honestly not a horrible thing doing a class or two over the summer, the costs associated are a drop in the bucket compared to other debt that is being accrued...

With regards to volunteering, I would say keep doing what you are doing. The good thing about your situation is that it is just that, volunteering. There isn't a mandatory thing that you go every single week like a job would be. If you have a crazy ridiculous week where you feel you need to study instead, then you can take off a week there. I think it's a good situation, and if you do this in combination with working/volunteering at a wide variety of experiences over the summer, then I think you should be more than fine in terms of experience.

My final piece of advice is to do stuff for you. If you are a big outdoors person, set up time each week to go on a hike. If you are big on sports, give yourself an hour a day to pay your sport of interest. Whatever it is that you are into hobby wise, make sure you devote sometime to that. It will honestly help you from burning out and will keep you sane .

Other than all of this, just don't stress. You are at the beginning of your vet school journey right now, so no need to build up all of your stress now. Trust me when I say there will be lots to be stressed about later on, so the less stress you are under now, the better...

 

[WillowLeaf]

First I'm going to second everyone's advice to relax, have a balanced life, and enjoy undergrad. For sure find a hobby to keep you sane, and make time for friends and family. That's one of the pieces of advice I've heard most often during the first part of vet school - to be sure we make time for ourselves and have a bit of a life outside of vet school. Between undergrad and vet school, you're going to spend the next 8 or so years in school. That's a long time and a significant part of your life, so it's important to take care of yourself and not get too lost in studying/working all the time. Of course, I'm not saying to forget about grades and studying, just to pace yourself and find the balance that works for you.

With regards to taking a lot of science courses during a semester, I personally believe that this is something that every undergrad pre-vet should do. Granted, I think you probably would not have to do 4 every semester with proper planning, and I believe that doing something non-science in undergrad helps to keep you well rounded and sane, but you have to understand that once you are in vet school, it's going to be full throttle science. Thus 3-4 science classes shouldn't be the worst thing ever, even though it can certainly be difficult!

That is definitely true. Vet school (first year, anyway) is something like 6 hours a day in science classes, and then whatever studying you have to do outside of class. It's good practice to be able to handle several science classes at once. But I also don't see why it's necessary to take 3-4 science classes per semester every semester. Is that all for pre-reqs or will you have a lot of additional science classes for your major? Are you planning to take 4 years for undergrad/prereqs, or attempting to finish in 2-3 years? If you find that you don't need that many science classes every term, you could throw in a few science-heavy semesters for practice and to show admissions committees that you're okay with that much science at once.

19-21 credits per semester seems like a lot to me, especially if you're planning to take summer courses as well. I got my prereqs + a degree (plus like one class short of a couple minors because I'm bad at degree planning) done on time with a credit load that ranged from 8 to 20, but there were a lot of 12 credit terms and the average was probably around 15. But I did my undergrad at a school that used quarters instead of semesters, so maybe there's a difference and 20 is more normal for semesters.

Good luck, and enjoy undergrad!

 

[that redhead]

I echo the "find balance" sentiment, as it applies to vet school too. No faster way to burn out than only ever doing school and/or vet related stuff. Find something else you enjoy - that includes stuff like reading or Netflix - and make time to do whatever it is that relaxes you.

Also, 20 credits per semester and 3-4 sciences per semester is a pretty big workload and a very steep learning curve for a freshman, especially with experience on the side. Ease yourself into college that first semester - you'll be making new friends, learning your way around a new place, missing your old routine, exploring new interests - and build a stronger workload as you go. Don't feel obligated to get in a bunch of hours right away - that's what breaks are for! No need to overexert yourself from the start; it's not easy to repair a weak GPA, take it from someone who knows. There's plenty of time to get your pre-reqs and experience hours done, but there won't even be the same environment for exploration, making new friends, etc. that college affords. So take advantage of this time to be a college kid too.

 

[Fly Racing]

Are you trying to make up time or finish early by taking so many credits? My school charged $800 per credit for each credit over 18, so it's not within what a normal student is expected to take. I'd say I averaged 15-16 per semester and with some summer classes, I graduated in 3.5 year.

You should make sure taking so many credit hours doesn't kill your GPA. Taking a high load and getting a 3.0 isn't going to be favored over 15 credit hours and a 3.5 and above. It may even keep you out of vet school (especially with the lowered vet hours you'll likely have).

I've also seen students burn out in undergrad which makes it REALLY hard to keep up.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but it is not setting yourself up for success. The two most important recommendations I make for undergrads is to: set yourself up for success through planning and opportunity and work hard.

 

[LetItSnow]

I'll be the sole dissenting voice.

Balance is for hard-workers. I recommend unbalancing things far in favor of Netflix, Hulu, pizza, and beer.

 

[Museum Nerd]

I would second what several have said about the 19-21 credits and why you need to take so many, are you trying to graduate early? What is your major? If you are trying to major in something outside of a science major and get all of your pre reqs in it is possible to have to take that many to graduate in 4 years. I looked at 6 different undergrad programs and all were about the same 15-17 a semester. One of the problems you are going to run into with 3-4 science classes every semester is scheduling lab times. Chem, Bio, physics, ochem and a few more all require labs(or they did at my university) I had a very difficult time sceduling that many labs in a semester, there were not enough hours to have 12 hours of labs (which is only 4 credit hours) plus still get all of the other classes in.

Good Luck.