Advice for a path-changer

[coldairclears]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I'm a graduating senior at UCLA majoring in Physiological Science (and minoring in Spanish). My GPA is 2.96. My original plan was to apply to RossU and SGU MED programs.

But after 4 years of being shot down with C's after studying countless hours and a year of "prepping" for the MCAT, I've realized that I am not precisely certain whether or not my choice is the best one for me. I've realized that I am not one for stress and competition of the MD field--dealt with one to many big-headed MD's. I am willing to work hard and continue to give school my all, but there is a limit to how many times I can survive being told I'm not smart enough.

What are the differences in stressors of MD and DMV?

A number of reasons led me to consider becoming a vet. Though i do not know that these are 'valid' reasons, there is no doubt that I care for animals, and being born and taught buddhist and vegetarian, I feel that animals are in much need of compassion and knowledgeable care, as does every being.


Throughout these 4 years of undergraduate schooling, I have followed the path of a Pre-Med student. I have volunteered in hospitals and clinics, and done research in Orthopedic surgery.

My question for you is, What are the steps that I should be taking, both immediate and long term, in beginning the Pre-Vet path? Should I volunteer at an Animal Hospital? The LA Zoo? Being that I will be out of school, I will require a paid position. Is becoming a clerk at an animal hospital a viable option? Or would they hire a BS to do something else? Pet stores? probably not.

I will be applying next year. Given my stats, should I take classes? or just gain experience?

As you can probably tell, I'm new. any words would be helpful, even to let me know that I'm deluded if i think that Vet is easier or less stressful then being an MD and that you think my reasoning is flawed.

Many Thanks,
coldairclears

*EDITED* I in NO way believe that VET school is EASIER than MED school. I guess ya'll are used to telling people that. My main question is what to do next. Thank you.

 

[twelvetigers]

My GPA is 2.96.

You are going to have a fairly hard time getting into vet school with this GPA, especially with no veterinary experience... you have to work to raise that GPA for vet school just like you would for med school. It's still highly competitive.

I've realized that I am not one for stress and competition.

Umm, we're pretty competitive too. It's not like we all decided we weren't smart enough to be REAL doctors, so we decided to become vets instead... on the contrary, most of us are competing just as heavily for spots in vet school as you are for med school. (Remember, there are only 28 accredited vet schools in the U.S., so even if there are fewer of us, it's still tough.)

I am looking for a fulfilling job that will not require sleepless nights and constant stress.

Medical doctors and veterinary docrtors are under very similar stresses. If you think that the former is too much for you, the latter probably will be as well...

My question for you is, What are the steps that I should be taking, both immediate and long term, in beginning the Pre-Vet path? Should I volunteer at an Animal Hospital? The LA Zoo? Being that I will be out of school, I will require a paid position. Is becoming a clerk at an animal hospital a viable option?

Anywhere that you can get your hands dirty would be a great start. You will need animal experience, vet experience (working with a DVM/VMD, or in some cases, a PhD) and work experience. Some of your "human" experience will apply to these categories, and the adcoms like to see variety. they will, however, frown on the idea that this is your "easier" choice.

I will be applying next year. Given my stats, should I take classes? or just gain experience?

Yes, and yes. 🙂 Both are important! You also need some good GRE scores. The GRE won't be as hard as the MCAT, I don't think, but it still will take a little effort on your part.

As you can probably tell, I'm new. any words would be helpful, even to let me know that I'm deluded if i think that Vet is easier or less stressful then being an MD and that you think my reasoning is flawed.

I do think you're a bit deluded, in case you couldn't tell. It's okay though; it seems like a lot of people just don't understand that veterinarians work VERY hard as well, and we compete just as much for placement in our graduate schools. I recall reading somewhere that the average matriculated vet student is 25, and the average number of tries to get in is 3. So please, don't insult us by calling it easier! We learn the same things as a MD, only for 8+ species instead of just one. And there are no terminal surgeries in human medicine.

So, if you are looking for the easy way out, vet school ain't it.

Hope that was helpful, and good luck deciding what you would like to do... I've always believed that you can succeed at whatever you really put your mind to. 👍

 

[Lab Man]

But after 4 years of being shot down with C's after studying countless hours and a year of "prepping" for the MCAT, I've realized that I am not precisely certain whether or not my choice is the best one for me. I've realized that I am not one for stress and competition. I am willing to work hard and continue to give school my all, but there is a limit to how many times I can survive being told I'm not smart enough.

Vet schools aren't easier or less competitive to get into than human medical schools.

 

[coldairclears]

Vet schools aren't easier or less competitive to get into than human medical schools.

How does what I;ve written make assume that I believe it is? My main concern is lifestyle and patients AFTER schooling.

 

[athenaparthenos]

As twelvetigers has said, vet school is not worlds and away easier than med school, either to get into or to go to, and the profession isn't all fluffy kittens and puppies and free of stress. In some respects vet school will be harder than med school due to having to learn to treat multiple species (though of course there are ways in which med school might be harder than vet school, I just don't know them, not having gone to med school myself 😛). In vet medicine you will have to euthanize animals, deal with animals that are trying to attack you, and deal with human owners that may be fractious themselves in some ways. You'll also, if you go into private practice, have to deal with the issues of cost and owners not always being able to afford the best care, or owners not wanting to do the best care even if they have the money because "it's just a dog." And even in the most sedate day practice emergency situations can and do show up at your door... whereas few career gynecologists will have to deal with life and death emergencies in their day to day practice. It can be an extremely stressful profession.

Of course, you have to get into vet school first. Without animal experience there's no way you'll get in with that GPA and you'd have to have great experience to be seriously considered for a position if your GPA remains that low. Some people on this board have had similar or only slightly higher GPAs and been accepted but they also had significant animal experience, had reasons why their GPA was that low, had good scores on the GRE, and/or had unique life experiences. As twelvetigers said there's only 28 schools in the country so yes, it can be very competitive. For example CSU takes about 2% of the out-of-state students who apply (if I did my math right a few months ago) -- that's pretty lean odds. Other schools don't have quite so grim chances but it's certainly no cakewalk getting in. I'd definitely retake some of the science classes you did poorly in to show admissions that you can handle the curriculum in vet school, which will be a ton of physiology, anatomy, chemistry, etc., just like in med school, and for multiple species. I'd also make sure you get an excellent score on the GRE (at least 1200-1300).

As for animal/vet experience, you'll definitely need some... the average applicant to some schools has about 3000 hours animal/vet experience. That takes a while. It may take you a year or two before you're even ready to apply unless you're working full-time for a vet. The best thing would be to go around to local vet clinics and try to get a job as a kennel tech or assistant, or even receptionist, just to get your foot in the door. That way you'll find out pretty quickly if vet med's something you can do, or if it's not the thing for you. Volunteer experience is good too but vet experience is crucial, as one of your letters of recommendation must be written by a vet.

Good luck! Do let us know if you need any further clarification.

 

[adOggy07]

How does what I;ve written make assume that I believe it is? My main concern is lifestyle and patients AFTER schooling.

I think the reason why some people may have made that judgment was probably because you started off your thread with this..

"Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I'm a graduating senior at UCLA majoring in Physiological Science (and minoring in Spanish). My GPA is 2.96. My original plan was to apply to RossU and SGU MED programs.

But after 4 years of being shot down with C's after studying countless hours and a year of "prepping" for the MCAT, I've realized that I am not precisely certain whether or not my choice is the best one for me. I've realized that I am not one for stress and competition of the MD field--dealt with one to many big-headed MD's. I am willing to work hard and continue to give school my all, but there is a limit to how many times I can survive being told I'm not smart enough.

What are the differences in stressors of MD and DMV?"

Just giving you an answer to your question, because that's kind of how it comes off, even if you had good intentions.

Anyway! I think the best way to gain knowledge of the veterinary profession is to work in a veterinary hospital. There is nothing that we can tell you here that will compare to the actual experience of working with animals, owners, vets, receptionists and techs. Since you have had lots of experience working in human hospitals, you can compare the two and see what you like and don't like about each setting.

I'm not trying to be rude. I just think that nothing gives you a more true answer than your own experiences.

In terms of pay, I think you will find that the tech field does not pay very well. I feel lucky as a technician to make $14/hr after only 2 years of experience. Since you haven't worked with animals before, I imagine most hospitals will likely start you out in a kennel type position, which may pay around $9.00/hr.

With volunteering at the zoo, it's a great idea and looks wonderful on your vet school app. However, I know that even the volunteer work at zoos is often competitive and if you were lucky enough to get a position, you would most likely start out by doing a lot of cleaning. I'm not trying to sound mean. I'm just trying to tell you that it's not as easy or always fun like people might think it may be.

I wouldn't recommend working at a pet store for experience... That might get you some experience handling animals.. but in terms of health care for animals... I don't think you would find anything more than you can probably find on the internet.

Personally, if I were to work for a pet shop, it wouldn't be one that sells dogs and cats because a good number of them get their puppies from puppy mills and I certainly refuse support that. If I were to work for a pet shop, it would be one that would support adoptions from local shelters and one that sells mainly supplies. And that wouldn't really get you a whole lot of animal experience.

So a veterinary clinic would be your best choice. You may have a hard time getting your foot in the door in terms of experience in the vet tech world, but if you're persistent enough, it can be done. GOOD LUCK!

 

[tealamutt]

I don't think you're case is hopeless at all! But as everyone else has said, it will take quite a bit of work. There is also the issue of money for you to consider and you can find info about debt on other threads in this forum. You'll pay the same as med school (give or take) but come out making a lot less, especially at first depending on your chosen area in the field. I'm assuming you're not interested in rural or large animal practice, but if you are don't forget that lovely factor of being on call in the middle of the night! (just had a calf pulled last night in a sideways blizzard at 12am, so that issue is fresh on my mind!!)

All that being said, the experience is not just a neccessity- you'll really learn whether or not vet med is for you! have fun and good luck!

 

[twelvetigers]

How does what I;ve written make assume that I believe it is? My main concern is lifestyle and patients AFTER schooling.

For either human or animal medicine, the amount of stress invilved in the post-graduation lifestyle depends 100% on what area of the field you go into. Keep in mind that you have many choices available to you in either field, so you're probably going to have the best luck doing what aDoggy said and trying out both in a clinical setting and trying to make your choice what to pursue from that.

I'm sorry if anyone (especially me) came off as sounding rude... please understand that we get kind of fired up if we think that someone is implying that MD > DVM. We just want everyone to know that we work really hard too, and go through difficult classes and stressful situations just the same.

I hope this thread had helped you, and I hope you don't feel *too* flamed. 😀

 

[Hobiecat1642]

I understand that you are new and looking for advice, I don't want to sound rude or discouraging. I have never been pre-med, and I don't know what that process entails.

However, I can tell you that gaining experience in vet med can also include working for people who probably resemble the big-headed MDs that you spoke of. The majority of my experiences have been great, but I have worked with vets who were condescending, who outright yelled at me, etc and definitely added to the level of stress that already exists in a busy clinic. I think that part of gaining experience is learning how to manage academic/workplace stress, so you need to cut yourself some slack early on.

I think that your research experience will look great, and if you get a killer GRE score that will help out as well. You definitely need experience, not only because it is required by adcoms, but because it will help you to decide if this is what you really want.

Most importantly, I think that you should realize that the pre-vet process is a boatload of stress and competition, and one that should not be undertaken without a lot of thought and planning.

 

[pressmom]

It's going to be difficult, but not impossible, to get into vet school with your current stats. (No experience, GPA on the lower side) The most important thing for you to do right now is to talk with veterinarians and spend some days in a veterinary hospital. The hours are long and the work is much more physically demanding than human medicine. Like in human medicine, you have to have the passion to overcome the difficulties of the job. I'd strongly recommend you see the dirty, difficult sides of veterinary medicine (dogs with parvo, euthanasia, clients who don't care for their pets properly, etc.) before you make decision to take post-bacc classes or decide on a different life path.

Best of luck finding opportunities and making decisions.

 

[wi girl]

Don't forget that when/if you apply, ad coms are going to see all the human experience (if you use it). They WILL ask why vet med (in some form or another) -- especially as we get this without having the pre-human-med background. Before you apply, you should have a really good explanation other than you didn't like "the stress and competition of the MD field" because a lot of DVMs might take offense (kinda like we did here a bit). It does imply that dvm<md when its phrased that way.

As for your other comment: "I am willing to work hard and continue to give school my all, but there is a limit to how many times I can survive being told I'm not smart enough. " I have been told by NUMEROUS vet students that they have these thoughts on a semi-regular basis. They aren't TOLD they can't handle it, but they all feel that way. The academic load is challenging. Just like med school. If you feel this way now, I don't think that choosing vet med over human med will change that.


Just a few thoughts.