Typical Day for UF Vet Student?

[FeenyFee]

Hi all! I'm really curious to any Gators out there about their average day in first year (and second, third, fourth if applicable)?

Thanks in advance

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[DVMDream]

Typical day in the life of any vet student:

 

[FeenyFee]

LOL

 

[Bracco Pointer]

Yep, that sums it up.

 

[chickenlittle]

I graduated in 2006, so maybe someone will update with any recent changes.... but this is how I remember it.

1st year - Lectures from around 8 or 9 am until 12:30, anatomy lab from 1-4.

I don't remember the schedule for other non-clinical semesters, but it wasn't quite as many hours once you finish first year. You'll still be at the vet school roughly 8-4, but may have more downtime between classes to get some studying done during the day.

On clinics, your schedule totally depends on the rotation. Easiest is radiology (roughly 9-5, Monday-Friday). Other rotations may have you at the vet school for 12+ hrs every day of the week. (I spent almost 38 hours straight at the vet school on my equine medicine rotation due to back-to-back overnight emergencies, going home for only an hour in the morning to take a quick shower and change clothes.) It really just depends.

 

[orca2011]

Typical day in the life of any vet student:

100% accurate. Also just need a gif that exemplifies all the crappy eating habits you develop. Oh and beer.

 

[DVMDream]

100% accurate. Also just need a gif that exemplifies all the crappy eating habits you develop. Oh and beer.

You mean eating banana pudding in bed isn't normal?

I'm definitely not doing the above....

 

[Cyndia]

Lol, DVMD pretty much hit the nail on the head. But to elaborate a bit more on what chickenlittle said:

First Year: You're in class most days for the entire day. First semester of first year you'll be in lectures from 830ish - 1230, with small animal anatomy from 1-4ish. You can leave early from anatomy if you finish your dissections or need to do something (one of my lab partners had allergy shots once a week, so she used to always leave early on Mondays), but I usually stayed the whole time or longer to make sure I really knew my structures for that day - it makes it easier once exams roll around so you don't have to cram as much. Once anatomy ends for the semester you'll probably have some lectures in the afternoon but it makes the day considerably shorter. I also spent less time at school once anatomy was over, because you kind of have to go into the lab to successfully learn structures, whereas other classes I could study from my notes at home or in the library. Second semester of first year varies, anatomy is much shorter than it was during first semester, so we had some random weeks with few afternoon classes, and then some weeks with a lot. You can check the website to see what current schedules look like (http://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/student-services/).

Second year: It's supposed to be harder than first year, and you'll be in lectures more since you no longer have anatomy every afternoon. You'll be in groups for some things, like surgery lab and therio lab, so there may be some days where you're in significantly longer, or some days when you get home a little early. Usually it'll be a similar 8-5 scenario though.

Third/Fourth year: I can't speak to rotations since I haven't been on them yet, but it does really vary based on which one you're on. You pick out your schedule at the end of second year, so you'll have some idea of what to expect. Once you return to the classroom halfway through third year, it's supposed to be a lighter schedule (you track then, and they usually make one semester slightly tougher for small animals students, and the following semester is slightly tougher for large animal students). First semester of fourth year is also supposed to be much lighter to give you more time to study for the NAVLE. And then you'll be back in rotations again for the second half of fourth year.

Other relevant stuff: You should note that even if class starts later in the morning, good parking spots fill up early so most people come in early anyways. Then we have club meetings after classes pretty much every day, it's up to you what you want to stay for. They usually provide a catered dinner so I'll stay if it's an interesting topic or delicious food, in which case I end up at school till 7 or 8. We also had a handful of catered lunch lectures, and several 'lunch and learn' sessions for shelter med and other clubs where you bring your own lunch. I went to some of these if it was a cool topic, but some of my friends refused to attend any lunch lectures because they like to have a little time to unwind in the middle of the day. Aside from school, some days I participate in extracurricular activities like intramurals - we had a ton of vet med teams for that, and my class also did weekly stadiums workouts. I also always make some time to relax or have fun during the week. For example, a few of us used to meet up every week to watch the latest American Horror Story episode. There are also tons of social events and fundraisers throughout the year, particularly when you have a lighter exam schedule/when you've just finished up a bad week. Since everyone is on the same schedule, we usually try to schedule events accordingly. During the fall semester, Alpha Psi also always sets up a tailgate spot for the games, and a good number of people go to those.

Hope that helps, if you have any other specific questions, feel free to PM me!

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Wait, you guys don't go to Disney World every week?

 

[FeenyFee]

Lol, DVMD pretty much hit the nail on the head. But to elaborate a bit more on what chickenlittle said:

First Year: You're in class most days for the entire day. First semester of first year you'll be in lectures from 830ish - 1230, with small animal anatomy from 1-4ish. You can leave early from anatomy if you finish your dissections or need to do something (one of my lab partners had allergy shots once a week, so she used to always leave early on Mondays), but I usually stayed the whole time or longer to make sure I really knew my structures for that day - it makes it easier once exams roll around so you don't have to cram as much. Once anatomy ends for the semester you'll probably have some lectures in the afternoon but it makes the day considerably shorter. I also spent less time at school once anatomy was over, because you kind of have to go into the lab to successfully learn structures, whereas other classes I could study from my notes at home or in the library. Second semester of first year varies, anatomy is much shorter than it was during first semester, so we had some random weeks with few afternoon classes, and then some weeks with a lot. You can check the website to see what current schedules look like (http://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/student-services/).

Second year: It's supposed to be harder than first year, and you'll be in lectures more since you no longer have anatomy every afternoon. You'll be in groups for some things, like surgery lab and therio lab, so there may be some days where you're in significantly longer, or some days when you get home a little early. Usually it'll be a similar 8-5 scenario though.

Third/Fourth year: I can't speak to rotations since I haven't been on them yet, but it does really vary based on which one you're on. You pick out your schedule at the end of second year, so you'll have some idea of what to expect. Once you return to the classroom halfway through third year, it's supposed to be a lighter schedule (you track then, and they usually make one semester slightly tougher for small animals students, and the following semester is slightly tougher for large animal students). First semester of fourth year is also supposed to be much lighter to give you more time to study for the NAVLE. And then you'll be back in rotations again for the second half of fourth year.

Other relevant stuff: You should note that even if class starts later in the morning, good parking spots fill up early so most people come in early anyways. Then we have club meetings after classes pretty much every day, it's up to you what you want to stay for. They usually provide a catered dinner so I'll stay if it's an interesting topic or delicious food, in which case I end up at school till 7 or 8. We also had a handful of catered lunch lectures, and several 'lunch and learn' sessions for shelter med and other clubs where you bring your own lunch. I went to some of these if it was a cool topic, but some of my friends refused to attend any lunch lectures because they like to have a little time to unwind in the middle of the day. Aside from school, some days I participate in extracurricular activities like intramurals - we had a ton of vet med teams for that, and my class also did weekly stadiums workouts. I also always make some time to relax or have fun during the week. For example, a few of us used to meet up every week to watch the latest American Horror Story episode. There are also tons of social events and fundraisers throughout the year, particularly when you have a lighter exam schedule/when you've just finished up a bad week. Since everyone is on the same schedule, we usually try to schedule events accordingly. During the fall semester, Alpha Psi also always sets up a tailgate spot for the games, and a good number of people go to those.

Hope that helps, if you have any other specific questions, feel free to PM me!

Thank you so much! I have a few questions so I will PM you

 

[chickenlittle]

Lol, DVMD pretty much hit the nail on the head. But to elaborate a bit more on what chickenlittle said:
There are also tons of social events and fundraisers throughout the year, particularly when you have a lighter exam schedule/when you've just finished up a bad week. Since everyone is on the same schedule, we usually try to schedule events accordingly.

Oh man, how I miss Friday evening happy hours at the Ale House. I was never a drinker until vet school