Animal Experience Help!

[memoriax]

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[ri23]

What do you do in the summers or on breaks? If you can establish yourself in an animal clinic during those times and work there you could definitely get enough experience.

 

[ylrebmik]

I'm currently a 2nd year microbiology major and have no animal experience so far aside from having pets, but I'm still interested in pursuing vet school. The problem is that I don't have a car, which severely limits me as my school is almost surrounded by freeway, and it is hard to get off campus. The bus system is also very slow. That said, I'm also involved in a music club, which is another passion of mine, and that's 10 hours a week, which severely limits my ability to take on more volunteer hours since I'm a full time student. Is it too late to get experience? Seeing as how so many applicants have at least 1000 hours of animal related experience, I will probably take a gap year or two to gain experience. Is this a good idea? Any thoughts are appreciated.

hmm well you definitely need to get experience... lots. Weekends, breaks, summers like the other person said would work. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of taking off time... if you take off time I think people should at least be going to school part time or something so in that time you "have to rememeber everything"

 

[VAgirl]

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of taking off time... if you take off time I think people should at least be going to school part time or something so in that time you "have to rememeber everything"

"Taking off time" doesn't mean you aren't doing anything. One would likely be working, and if the idea was to gain experience, one would likely be working in a very related area. You can learn as much out in the "real world" as you can in school, if you want to.

 

[lailanni]

I'm currently a 2nd year microbiology major and have no animal experience so far aside from having pets, but I'm still interested in pursuing vet school. The problem is that I don't have a car, which severely limits me as my school is almost surrounded by freeway, and it is hard to get off campus. The bus system is also very slow. That said, I'm also involved in a music club, which is another passion of mine, and that's 10 hours a week, which severely limits my ability to take on more volunteer hours since I'm a full time student. Is it too late to get experience? Seeing as how so many applicants have at least 1000 hours of animal related experience, I will probably take a gap year or two to gain experience. Is this a good idea? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Either way - taking time off school, or working at a clinic during school/summer. You really need the experience.

First, you need all the experience to make sure vet med is what you really want to do. Spending hundreds of hours in a vet clinic should give you an idea.

Second, you need the experience to get accepted. Not just a few hours here and there. Several hundreds at least.

If your school has research, you could get a job in an animal related lab. That would help if you can't get off campus.

 

[ylrebmik]

"Taking off time" doesn't mean you aren't doing anything. One would likely be working, and if the idea was to gain experience, one would likely be working in a very related area. You can learn as much out in the "real world" as you can in school, if you want to.

Yes, I know. I didn't mean not doing anything nessisarily. I just see a lot of people around me taking time off and either not going back or lose their track they're on. Not nessisarilly the case here...

Everyone is different... and for me I like working and going to school at the same time... during the summer I take classes part time and work more, then during the school year its the opposite.

I understand that you can learn just as much in "the real world" but I think both is equally important and if at possible should include both.