Can't decide if I should go pre-vet and pursue vet school

[canyonman]

I am currently in my first year of undergrad, and my current major is natural resources management with an emphasis in wildlife management. Going into college, I didn't have the intentions of going to vet school (although it's been in the back of my mind since the beginning of high school). I was planning on graduating with the degree stated above and going into some type of law enforcement (game warden, park ranger, etc.). I come from a family full of law enforcement, and although my family by no means has ever forced me to pursue law enforcement, I always thought that was what I was going to do because it is truly something that I have always wanted to do.
That being said, I have also wanted to be a veterinarian (specifically an equine or LA veterinarian) for a very long time as well. I've been riding horses since middle school and have been a instructor for the past 3 years, and every time the vet comes out to the farm I am completely fascinated and somewhat jealous of what they get to do , and I've always had an interest in medicine. However I always thought being a vet would just a "dream" to me (In HS I though there was no way I could do 8 years of college, but now that I'm actually in college I'm not too concerned about that). After having many talks with my parents, they made me realize that I can make being a vet a reality if I really wanted to. Here's the thing: I've been reading a lot of forums lately (specifically about equine and large animal vets) and quite frankly they're scaring me. A lot of them say that you basically have no life outside of work, and I'm concerned that if I do become an equine vet, I won't even have time to enjoy my own horse or other animals, and won't have time to enjoy other hobbies like fishing, kayaking, hiking, camping etc. Also, since I have planned on becoming an officer for a long time, I've always looked forward to retiring in my late 50s and enjoying a long retirement. Also, I know being a vet isn't about the money, but that fact that I could possibly make more money being a police officer (a job that requires no college) than being an equine vet (a job that requires 8 years of college) makes me doubt if vet school is worth it.
One more thing: I feel as though if I become a police officer, I'll end up regretting not going to vet school and becoming a vet. However, if I become a vet, I DON'T feel as though I would regret not becoming a police officer.
What I'm getting at is that if I do change my major (most likely to biology) I want to do it by next semester so I can start taking the required courses, and I'm getting stressed out because registration for next semester is in about a month and I just can't decide what to do. I know the decision is ultimately up to me, but I would love to get any advice that others may have! Thanks, and sorry this is so long!

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[Felixor90]

Shadow some vets from different fields. If possible, talk to some pre-vets that are close to being done with their prereqs and see if you can handle the science/math classes.

 

[k80rigs]

I'm going to get in here before the mad rush and say what everyone else is going to say... Start shadowing and getting experience in the veterinary field in hospitals, etc and see if it is what you want to do.

End of.

 

[k80rigs]

Shadow some vets from different fields. If possible, talk to some pre-vets that are close to being done with their prereqs and see if you can handle the science/math classes.

Darn I thought I would be the first!

 

[Felixor90]

Darn I thought I would be the first!

My admissions anxiety is at full throttle today and that usually is accompanied by an increase in SDN refreshes per minute. Good try though.

 

[k80rigs]

My admissions anxiety is at full throttle today and that usually is accompanied by an increase in SDN refreshes per minute. Good try though.

Me too!! The rest of my schools get back to me in 9 days so I'm crazy anxious.

 

[LivesintheLibrary]

My admissions anxiety is at full throttle today and that usually is accompanied by an increase in SDN refreshes per minute. Good try though.

Me too!! The rest of my schools get back to me in 9 days so I'm crazy anxious.

PREACH.

As everyone has said shadow and all that good stuff.

That being said, I have also wanted to be a veterinarian (specifically an equine or LA veterinarian) for a very long time as well. I've been riding horses since middle school and have been a instructor for the past 3 years, and every time the vet comes out to the farm I am completely fascinated and somewhat jealous of what they get to do , and I've always had an interest in medicine. However I always thought being a vet would just a "dream" to me (In HS I though there was no way I could do 8 years of college, but now that I'm actually in college I'm not too concerned about that). Here's the thing: I've been reading a lot of forums lately (specifically about equine and large animal vets) and quite frankly they're scaring me. A lot of them say that you basically have no life outside of work, and I'm concerned that if I do become an equine vet, I won't even have time to enjoy my own horse or other animals, and won't have time to enjoy other hobbies like fishing, kayaking, hiking, camping etc.

As far as this part, I think it's easy to make your job your life no matter what you do. While your first few years out of vet school will probably be more work-related, I know multiple equine veterinarians that all really enjoy life outside of their job (I'm also one of those kids that has ridden forever and yada yada). The thing is you really have to schedule your priorities rather than prioritizing your schedule.

If your school has a pre-vet society I would join it even if you don't switch majors right away. If it's anything like the one I was a part of, you'll get to hear from veterinarians doing all kinds of things, and your eyes will really be opened to the different aspects. If you wanted to combine the two, you probably could by working as a vet at the clinic/humane society/etc. that the law enforcement sends the animals to (if you're looking for a kind of animal cruelty officer setting). I haven't done wildlife shadowing in a state/national park sense, but I imagine sure that parks call upon veterinarians in many ways and that you would be able to work alongside the officers, rangers, and warden. Plus if you're actually employed by the park service, you may be able to still get similar retirement/benefits package that you mentioned. I'm not sure how many jobs of this type there are and what they're actually like so hopefully someone with experience in that field will chime in here.

Lastly, you're a freshman, I know time flies, but this isn't a decision you have to make today. If you can work prereqs into your schedule while still taking you current major's classes, you may want to try that so you can get a feel of both worlds. You're not running out of time, even though it feels like it. One of my best friends decided in August of 2014 that she wanted to be a vet, barely had any vet hours, applied in 2-3 weeks… and got in… and this was her SENIOR year of college she decided this. Granted she had a lot of animal hours that she was still exposed to veterinarians and the impacts of the profession so it was more of how her past experiences led her to this decision, even though we all thought she should have been one years ago haha. But moral of the story is, she decided late in the game, had the knowledge to make an educated decision, and it worked, it's never too late to start. Plus I've met multiple veterinarians/ vet students who chose this as a second career since they didn't know it was what they wanted to do until later, and they love it now. So don't feel like this is a decision you have to make as a Freshman or else you'll miss your shot at either profession.

 

[canyonman]

Plus if you're actually employed by the park service, you may be able to still get similar retirement/benefits package that you mentioned

That's another thing I forgot to mention. Do most associate vets get benefits (health, dental, life insurance, etc.) from their place of employment? It would worry me if they don't. I guess I've kind of been spoiled knowing that I would get an abundance of benefits working in law enforcement.

 

[DVMDream]

My admissions anxiety is at full throttle today and that usually is accompanied by an increase in SDN refreshes per minute. Good try though.

It's Saturday, you aren't getting any updates today. Go do something!

 

[LivesintheLibrary]

It's Saturday, you aren't getting any updates today. Go do something!

Is sitting by the mailbox acceptable?

 

[Felixor90]

It's Saturday, you aren't getting any updates today. Go do something!

I'm going out now and leaving my phone at home. A lot of schools are doing things on Saturdays this round actually, including 3 of the ones I'm waiting to hear from. The only day I feel I can just relax is Sunday.

 

[DVMDream]

Is sitting by the mailbox acceptable?

No!

Go to the movies.

 

[lailanni]

That's another thing I forgot to mention. Do most associate vets get benefits (health, dental, life insurance, etc.) from their place of employment? It would worry me if they don't. I guess I've kind of been spoiled knowing that I would get an abundance of benefits working in law enforcement.

Yes and no. Some places do offer a nice benefits package. One of my best friends has been working at her clinic for the last 2.5 years and just now got health insurance. Still no dental. No life.

I would say that most people do get benefits to some degree, but you may have to bother your employer for it.

Another thing to consider is the debt of vet school. You mentioned wanting to retire early. If you'll be funding vet school yourself, you may want to look into the debt you'll be picking up and what your loan repayments will look like. There's a very real possibility that it'll delay your getting a house (especially if you're a single income household) and can cut into how quickly you're able to save for retirement.

To be perfectly honest, if someone were to point blank ask me if vet med was good for work/life balance I'd say no. Clinic hours are often long and unpredictable. Though the office closes at 6pm you may well be there until 9:30pm or later, and it won't be all that uncommon. You may be required to take on-call. If you want a job with specific hours (9-5, weekends and holidays off, guaranteed 2weeks off a year, paid sick leave) it's not really going to be vet med in clinical practice. (Ok, maybe some specialties, but generally not) Some people love it, some people burn out. Really depends on your personality, how you set your boundaries, what your clinic workload is like, and your support system at home.

But spend time with some of your local practitioners and see what you think.

Keep in mind that vet med isn't the only path to helping animals. You could be a police officer and help at shelters. Shelters are always looking for good help!

 

[Jess Monster]

I wouldn't change majors if you like what you're studying. Wildlife management will offer you some unique coursework and will qualify you for certain government jobs based on education alone. Personally, I feel that's a better "fall back" type degree than biology (at my university biology is somewhat generic and the go-to major of every pre-dent, pre-med, etc. - so it's thoroughly saturated and the opportunities are spread thin). You might have to take a few more courses to get your pre-reqs but that's a minor hassle over the course of the degree.

As others have said, go out and shadow some vets and get some experience, but keep an open mind about the veterinary field. If you find that you don't like some of the characteristics of clinical medicine, you have other options. With your interest in law enforcement and large/equine, my immediate thought was that you might like regulatory medicine. These jobs are often well paid with lots of opportunities for advancement and great benefits from the government.

 

[lailanni]

With your interest in law enforcement and large/equine, my immediate thought was that you might like regulatory medicine. These jobs are often well paid with lots of opportunities for advancement and great benefits from the government.

This is a really good point!

 

[hedgehogcatcher]

Don't forget to shadow professionals in other fields you are interested in. There are some bad ass jobs working for park service, government as a wildlife biologist or in animal control and yes shadowing there can count in your applications for vet school. There are also opportunities as a vet to work in forensics, animal welfare and similar positions. Don't let the romanticized idea of the degree itself cloud your judgement and take the best path for the kinds of jobs you want to open doors for.
Good luck!

 

[canyonman]

Don't let the romanticized idea of the degree itself cloud your judgement

Thanks for your input! I do have a problem of romanticizing things, so I definitely need to do my research and make sure being a vet is exactly what I want to do.

 

[Gemgrrrl]

Lots of good advice here. Just remember that lots of things are going to change as you go through life. A few years ago you couldn't imagine 8 years of college, and now it's no big deal. You may find that retiring at 50 isn't exactly what you want to do after all. (I personally would be bored out of my mind having nothing to do but hang out for 30+ years.) Don't get too caught up in trying to decide "exactly" what you will want to do for the next 30 years of your life. That's an impossible task for anyone. It's totally ok to be on the fence right now.

There are lots of things you can focus on right now that will set you up right, no matter which path you eventually decide to take. Those are the things I would focus on at this point. Keep your GPA as high as you can, look into shadowing opportunities, see if there are any research opportunities at your university, and try to keep your student debt as low as possible. All four things can only help you no matter what direction you decide to take.

I imagine that you probably have some Gen Eds in common with the pre-requisite classes, so there might not be as much pressure to decide right now as you think there is.

 

[canyonman]

Don't get too caught up in trying to decide "exactly" what you will want to do for the next 30 years of your life. That's an impossible task for anyone. It's totally ok to be on the fence right now.

Thanks for the advice. I'm the kind of person that likes to plan out every step of my life and not waver from that plan, so I get very stressed out when I'm not sure of what my future is going to look like. I have to work on telling myself that it's ok to be undecided at this point.

 

[canyonman]

This might be a stupid question, but does shadowing a vet count as vet experience?

 

[hedgehogcatcher]

Yes, shadowing a vet counts as vet experience. Working for a vet or biomedical related research does too. Have you thought about contacting some state/usda vets to shadow? They have cool alternative jobs that give you more breadth of insight. Also check out elliotgarber.com

 

[canyonman]

Yes, shadowing a vet counts as vet experience. Working for a vet or biomedical related research does too. Have you thought about contacting some state/usda vets to shadow? They have cool alternative jobs that give you more breadth of insight. Also check out elliotgarber.com

I'll have to look into shadowing a USDA vet. Over my spring break in March I'll be shadowing an equine ambulatory vet who is a solo practitioner, and I'll also be shadowing at a large, multi- doctor equine hospital. It'll be interesting to see the similarities and differences between the two environments. I'm very excited about this and hopefully I'll get some good insight.

 

[that redhead]

Thanks for the advice. I'm the kind of person that likes to plan out every step of my life and not waver from that plan, so I get very stressed out when I'm not sure of what my future is going to look like.

I'm the same way. Life/the universe/whatever likes to make sure that nearly nothing goes according to our meticulously laid plans. The sooner you can be okay with that, the better for your sanity

 

[haley120892]

If it helps my dad is a game warden as was his dad before him and I spent a lot of time getting my animal hours for vet school done through him. I also got the opportunity to work with the Game Commission's Veterinarian, so there are jobs out there that can incorporate both your dream jobs

 

[Gemgrrrl]

I'm the same way. Life/the universe/whatever likes to make sure that nearly nothing goes according to our meticulously laid plans. The sooner you can be okay with that, the better for your sanity

Amen to that!