cold feet about vet school

I somewhat feel this way, but more because I'm just not sure if vet school is what I really want to do or not. Many people I've talked to have suggested that I take a year or 2 to think about it. Are you freshly out of college? If so, it might be good to take a break from school in general for a bit just to experience what else the world has to offer. In the process, you might find something you love to do that you never even thought about before.

Haha don't worry at least its better to feel this now then when your actually in vet school. I started getting cold feet after I applied. I think it was fear of rejection but I just sat and tried thinking of other professions I could be good at and actually do, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew I wanted to be a vet because that was the only thing that would come to mind as something I could do. You will be fine. You will make a great vet. Once your in vet school and get a feel for everything all your nerves will calm down. :-D You want to be a vet because even if you had a slightest doubt the admisssions committee would not have accepted you. Shockingly, their really good at picking up on those things.

I think I know exactly how you feel. For me, I decided when I was 9. Ever since then it's been the easy reply whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up: "I'm going to be a vet!" Plus my mom for the past several years has been making the "I think that's awesome; you decided what you wanted to be at such a young age and you've never looked back!" comments. I guess there's a part of me that thinks perhaps I should have looked back. I honestly don't think I would have changed my mind had I given everything a "second thought," but there's a part of me who wonders if I never "looked back" because it became so comofortable to have an answer for what I was going to do with my life.

Plus, there's another (LARGE!) part of me that's absolutely afraid of failure. And now someone's saying "here you go! you're dream is coming true! you say you wanna be a vet, so we're gonna invest time and energy teaching and training you" and I'm like, what if I screw up? What if I go through vet school and SUCK at being a vet? Then I'll have disappointed the school that agreed to teach me. I'll have disappointed my mother who "thinks this is so great!" And, most importantly, I'll have disappointed myself and I'll have made these past however many years of working at vet's offices, doing extracurricular activities so I can be "well rounded" etc. etc. worthless. (Of course, even if I'm not cut out to be a vet I know I've loved those experiences anyways, so of course they're not worthless!)

So this is what I've done. I've told myself, no matter what (unless I seriously want to kill myself), I'm going to get through vet school. And, I'm going to work in the field for a year. At that point, if I don't enjoy it, I've promised myself I'll go do something else. I won't regret vet school, I won't regret all the hard work, I'll try not to regret the thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt I'll be, and I'll go do something else. Assuming I don't specialize etc., I'll be about 27 or 28, which is definitely young enough to "start over". And the thing is, just telling myself that and taking the pressure off "I have to decide right now if I don't want to do this!!!!" has made me a LOT more excited for vet school to start again. So my recommendation? Make the same promise to yourself -- and MEAN IT. You don't want to let your fear of failure or whatever it might be hold you back from doing something you'll love, but at the same time you don't want to let your fear of regretting vet school make you keep a job you genuinely don't like. So try it out and see what happens. And know that you're not alone; there's more than a few of us who are hoping our feet warm up soon!

Here are two other threads to read through that discuss a bit your concerns (cold feet!)

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=416247

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-392226.html

I would say that getting cold feet about everything is normal. Heck I know I've run through quite a range of thoughts. I've gone from Holy **** I actually got accepted, to feeling guilty for my friends who haven't been accepted after 2-3 years of applying (and I haven't even done all the pre-reqs required for US schools!). Basically I feel like I cheated 'the system' and sidestepped people who are brilliant but are playing the US waiting game while I move across the world. Recently I've had brief moments of panic where I wonder if I can hack it in vet school to also thinking about if I am running away from something (long story that I'd prefer not to get into) instead of running toward a life-long goal.

Furthermore I've lived where I am now for almost 10 years--the longest I've lived anywhere. This town has pretty much become home for me. I've been employed at the same place for 7 years now and have a good "family" at work who make it enjoyable to be there every day (despite the occasional fights I know you are reading this LT!) I've become quite comfortable where I am and for the first time in my life I am leaving the country (only been to Canada on day trips previously) and it's going to be quite the experience.

But when I do sit and seriously think things over, I wouldn't give up this chance for the world. I've put in a lot of time into this profession and I think I would be more devastated (read: what the hell do I do now?) if I didn't take the leap into the unknown and head towards my goal.

Besides, I only need C's dammit! I will try for better but we all know that cheesy saying C = DVM. The money? Who cares... I'll deal with that when the time comes. If you've made it this far you'll most likely be happy after another four years go by and you accomplish your childhood dream.

Good luck and don't give up quite yet.

Oh yeah, I so get what you're saying. I'm freaking out because I realized that I'm actually going to have to move in the next month. I'll be leaving behind some of the best friends I've ever made, selling a house I love, and changing the terms of almost all my relationships.

I keep asking myself why I am doing this at the age of 41. Shouldn't I content myself with my life as it is? Am I being incredibly selfish to uproot my family? And what if after all this, I fail?

So yeah, I get it.

Disclaimer: I'm not headed to school (yet!) but ...

For those of you who knew from the time they were young what they wanted to do, that's awesome. I can only speak for myself, but I ended up stuck in a career I hated because I simply went with the flow and did what I was good at - not necessarily what I love. It wasn't a matter of single-mindedly pursuing something and not exploring other options.

Second, think of all the perseverance you've needed just to get this far. You've already proven you have the smarts and the determination to make it through the next four years.

Finally, each of us has had to get a lot of experience prior to even applying to vet school. If any red flags were to come up, it would be during those times! I'm sure each of us has worked or volunteered with people who realized they simply weren't cut out for this line of work.

You can do it - you wouldn't be where you're at if you were incapable

ShelterGirl said:

Finally, each of us has had to get a lot of experience prior to even applying to vet school. If any red flags were to come up, it would be during those times! I'm sure each of us has worked or volunteered with people who realized they simply weren't cut out for this line of work.

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Yeah, if you weren't meant to be a clinical vet you'd know, like I do, that you aren't cut out for it. Working at a clinic for a couple years established that for me pretty easily. However, there are things you can do with a DVM aside from just being a clinical vet. You can work for the CDC, do research, go back and get a PhD and teach, or whatever. If you enjoy the science behind it the future is limitless, so think of it that way.

blkizs said:

I start vet school in the fall and all of a sudden i am freaking out about it. I'm questioning everything trying to make sure this is really what i want to do with my life.
I've wanted to be a vet ever since i was 4. now that it is actually going to happen i'm scared and not sure if it is really what i want, even though ive had years to figure it out.
It could be that i'm so scared to spend sooooooo much money and time if in the end i'm not happy. However, this is all i have ever wanted so i shouldnt be freaking out.

is anyone else feeling this way?

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i feel like that all the time...

i will be spending like 300k for my degree and it would suck if a few yrs later i realise that vet medicine isnt wat i want to do but i rationalise it this way if i end up not liking wat i do i can always switch career...

do post graduate medicine? apply for aussie citizenship and go on the dole? be a pot grower? be a vagrant? the world of possibilities await

I have to be at work in 45 mins, so this'll be fast. I'm nervous too, and I went to my friend's house and she was like, "Maybe this isn't for you. You should make a list of pros and cons..." And I was thinking, "I think I'm past that point....little bit committed now. Not what I wanted to hear." I'm just freaking out a little over the responsibility of being a doc. It's one thing to be a tech, but entirely another to be the shot caller.

pressmom said:

I have to be at work in 45 mins, so this'll be fast. I'm nervous too, and I went to my friend's house and she was like, "Maybe this isn't for you. You should make a list of pros and cons..." And I was thinking, "I think I'm past that point....little bit committed now. Not what I wanted to hear." I'm just freaking out a little over the responsibility of being a doc. It's one thing to be a tech, but entirely another to be the shot caller.

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that's what freaks me out, pressmom! i love everything about vet med, but that cloud of responsibility is pretty damn oppressing. i just hope school teaches me EVERYTHING and i'll never be wrong. ha.

Emio said:

i just hope school teaches me EVERYTHING and i'll never be wrong. ha.

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haha-yeah right. most vets right out of vet schoool say they learn more in their first year of practice then in all 4 years of vet school!!!

As far as the post goes, I'm a little bit freakin out. I'm not worried at all about the path of being a vet. I'm thrilled that I'm actually reaching my dream. I know this is what I want to do.

What I am worried about is all the logistics. My move in 2 weeks, living in another state, being away from family and friends, not having enough money to eat, etc. It's a major life change and it's ok to freak out.

If you are REALLY thinking this path SERIOUSLY isn't for you, it's ok to back out now. It would make one REALLY HAPPY alternate

If you are just not sure, stick with it. Like the post from above said, there are SO many things to do with a DVM.

One more thing..... the schooling to get to vet school is pretty darn hard. It prepares you for vet school. Do your best and you'll do fine. You made it this far for a reason.

good luck everyone

The night before classes, I dang near had a meltdown. They kept telling us at orientation that vet school was like trying to drink from a firehose. I kept worrying that there would be absolutely no flexibility among the professors, and that I was just going to go insane with so much work. Then I got there....and everything was OK! They spend so much time gearing you up for it that when it finally happens, it doesn't seem nearly as bad as your worst fears.

Vet schools adcoms are typically great at figuring out who belongs in vet school, and who will make a successful veterinarian. I went through the same thing you did (I always tell people "I've wanted to be a vet since I was 4" exactly that!) and I really started to doubt myself. Believe me, when you're stomach-tubing sheep and taking that first cut into your anatomy dog, that's when you realize you belong. Last year made me feel SO much better about my decision. I never looked into anything else really (except a VERY short stint in a research based Master's program.....found out research is not my thing) so it worried me that maybe I had blinders on. Not anymore. I hope that you have a great experience your first year, and don't get quite so nervous! I was a wreck for weeks last summer!

I think it's more that for most of us starting in August, Vet school is a big unknown. Yeah, for most of us this is our dream come true. But remember back to moving from high school to college. It was exciting, but at the same time completly unknown, you had heard stories about what college is like, parties, teachers that didn't help you out, strict deadlines, etc. Then it turned out that everything was fine. This is a similar situation, we've all heard how hard vet school is and that time management is going to be key to getting through without going crazy. But once we get to our respective schools and get into the flow of how things work, I think we will all do great! Like Spartan said, you'll know you made the right decision when you get into the coursework, but right now it's all a bunch of what if's.

Just my 2 cents!

I definately think the unknown is the scariest part. I am so excited to start in August, but terrified at the same time. We recently hired a new dr. at the clinic I work, she just graduated in May (and randomly I went to high school with her). I have really enjoyed chatting with her about the huge learning curve (and the pressure of it ultimately being your responsibility) of being a first-time dr. as she is going through it right now. She and everyone else assure me school will not be as bad as I am anticipating - it is a lot of work, but most people get through it just fine. Everyone on this board seems bright and eager to learn, and I think just those things alone are a good start for success in vet school

ZoeyBay said:

I definately think the unknown is the scariest part. I am so excited to start in August, but terrified at the same time. We recently hired a new dr. at the clinic I work, she just graduated in May (and randomly I went to high school with her). I have really enjoyed chatting with her about the huge learning curve (and the pressure of it ultimately being your responsibility) of being a first-time dr. as she is going through it right now. She and everyone else assure me school will not be as bad as I am anticipating - it is a lot of work, but most people get through it just fine. Everyone on this board seems bright and eager to learn, and I think just those things alone are a good start for success in vet school

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just reading that post lowered my heartrate a few bpm thanks!

and i LOVE your picture!!! i have a gray tabby, too, but her pic wouldn't work with this site for some reason.

Thanks! The cute little grey kitten in my picture has now grown into a mischievous adult cat - she definately keeps us on our toes, but alas, her antics are worth it and are a constant source of entertainment.

More on topic though, I am glad we all have each other here to commiserate with now. In a couple of months, we will be sooo busy studying we won't have time to worry about it!

I woke up at 2 in the morning one night last summer. Laid there and CRIED! quietly. Hubby was sleeping next to me, and I was desperate not to wake him up... didn't want him to know that he was changing his whole life for something that I suddenly felt so ambivalent about. He woke up anyway (d*am him, light sleeper)... and said, I kid not... "Jenn, I know that you are worried about where we're going and what you are going to do when we get there, but I know that you will do great. Even if you don't know that right now."

He knew what I was thinking because it is the most natural thing in the world to be scared when staring this thing down. We all felt it. In my first week of vet school, there were literally 6 people who were crying in the hall. I was one of them. More did it the 2nd week. Then, after 4 exams in 3 days during week 3, we all felt better! 'cause we're vet students, and all just a little crazy!

Feel better, be proud of where you are and where you are going, and give yourself permission to be scared.

And, HAVE FUN!!!

Jenn

Hah! A few days ago I was two seconds from submitting a request to defer for a year because I was feeling the same way you are. It is perfectly normal. Just try it out...see what happens. If you hate it, you can leave. No one said we arent allowed to make mistakes!! But, I think you are going to get in there and absolutely love it. Go get yourself an anatomy book or a pathology book and start flipping through it. That will get you excited for classes! And, try not to over think it...until you are halfway done!

Nothing I can say will make you feel better about vet school as much as surviving your first day, week, test, semester, and year will... But when a vet school says, "Yes, we believe you are a good candidate and we are willing to let you into our program," they also say, "... and we'll do whatever it takes to keep you here!!" They are lots of support systems at my school in place to make sure that we stay somewhat grounded, pass our classes, and pass our boards in the end. If a student needs to drop out for the year, they are always welcome back the next year if they choose.

Plus, you'll be going through this will 100-some other people that will be your biggest support system. You never have to go through anything alone if you don't want to. Study groups are the best!

Anyway, anxiety about starting is totally normal, and even after finishing my first year I wonder if I'm really cut out for this vet thing. But as long as the moments of getting giddy about dissecting out heartworms from a dog heart or helping a wobbly foal stand next to its momma to nurse outnumber the moments of terror that I'm going to be the world's worst vet, I think I'm doing okay

It sounds like you are overwhelmed, which is totally understandable. I have banked my entire life on getting into vet school, and now that I have achieved my ultimate goal, sometimes I find myself in this weird thought where I am like "Wow, I reached my goal, now what?"

I am moving my fiance and my entire zoo (2 horses, a blue heeler, and a cat) 1300 miles from where I am from. Its a crazy feeling, and as the time gets closer for the "big move", I am finding myself anxious!

Good luck and follow your inner feelings, I am sure you will make the right decision.

-V

I forgot to mention the everyday feeling I had this year (my first) of "what am I doing here?"

It is normal. We all feel it. It is worse than those going-to-middle-school-in-pajamas dreams. But, we all survive those, too!

You will be fine. You will make friends. You will LOVE where you are and what you are doing. All at the same time as wondering "what if....????"

J

Its reassuring to hear that some others going into this and some people in their first year had some doubts. I'll admit to being scared sh!*less more than a few times. But I also believe that I really want this and that we can do this. Go Class of 2011!! And for now instead of continuing to freak myself out about the impending doom that I'm expecting, I'm going to concentrate on the last few moments of free time that I'll have and plan a trip to Maui. I'm hoping that plenty of sun and booze will temporarily erase any doubts that I currently have.

I too am kind of nervous about the upcoming first year, but I am mostly excited because I get to meet ~100 new people. How often do opportunities like this come along???

conservegirl - love your new griz avatar!! must be the kids at wsu?

ot - yes, i'm in the same boat. i actually caught myself telling someone i didn't want to go! then i mentally kicked myself (this is what i worked towards for 8 years). what is wrong with me??

wildfocus said:

conservegirl - love your new griz avatar!! must be the kids at wsu?

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Haha, yes it is one of my new "kids"...I am officially in love!