CLASS OF 2014...how ya doing?

[bunnity]

For comparison we started at 126 and are down to 121. Grades aren't all in yet and I would not be surprised if that number is even lower in a few weeks

OK the document sent to our class that I used to count was missing people that are definitely still in our class. So please consider my counting completely inaccurate and I'll let you know if we get a more accurate number.

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[BlacKAT33]

as far as i know we have only lost 1 person due to medical reasons. although they actually still attended classes with us for the rest of the semester and they plan on coming back next year.

we'll see what happens once we get all of our grades back in Jan lol

 

[StartingoverVet]

..

 

[squibby]

Cool, thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[Willowhand]

I just got this warning from a KSU grad ('00): Beware the first semester, most schools rock you off the bat to get rid of the wannabees early.

What do you guys think of this statement? Is there any truth to it?

Maybe it used to be that way, but throughout my first semester here I have felt that the faculty have given us nothing but support and the desire for everyone to succeed. Not that all the professors put the same amount of effort into teaching, of course, but many of them go above and beyond to help students understand the material.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Maybe it used to be that way, but throughout my first semester here I have felt that the faculty have given us nothing but support and the desire for everyone to succeed. Not that all the professors put the same amount of effort into teaching, of course, but many of them go above and beyond to help students understand the material.

This. Schools do not want to fail people. If for nothing else, they want the tuition money Maybe a harsh way to look at it but...in today's monetary environment....

 

[lunajett]

I just got this warning from a KSU grad ('00): Beware the first semester, most schools rock you off the bat to get rid of the wannabees early.

What do you guys think of this statement? Is there any truth to it?

I haven't found that to be true at all. Yes, first semester is hard for many different reasons, but like others have said, there is lots of support available. From what I've seen, all the profs (even the "bad" ones) do want us to succeed; I don't see any of them as trying to knock us out of school. I've heard second year is more the "weed out" year, but that's from second years who are hating their lives. I think the courses get harder second year and we have even less free time, but hopefully we're all more geared up for it by then.

Schools def don't want you to fail out, but I don't think it's so much for financial reasons as others have said. At least at KSU, we take a good number of transfers from island schools. If you flunk out, I don't believe your seat will be sitting empty for the remainder of whatever time you would have had until grad; they will quickly fill that seat with a transfer student who will gladly pay the tuition you had been paying. So other than some administrative expense, I doubt there is really much financial impact to the school from a student failing out. I think any school is just more concerned with their reputation; students flunking out reflects poorly on the school and their admissions process.

Personally, I haven't heard of any of our classmates who have flunked out yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if we were missing a few come January. On the stats for almost all the tests, there were always a few grades that were waaaay too low, like beyond what even a generous curve or "adjustment points" could help.

And actually, from what I've heard at KSU, people don't generally "flunk out" like right out of school. If you flunk a class, you have to repeat it, which means dropping down to the next class. If you're willing to do that and can pay the extra tuition, than I think you can stay in. I'm sure there is some limit, but it's not like other schools where I've heard you are only allowed to flunk/repeat one class; after that you are out for good.

 

[ColoradoDVM]

After finishing my first semester, I can say that I do not love vet school, and some days, actually loathe it. I am glad for the peple that say how much they love it but have realized many people do not.
I constantly felt like I was behind in every single class, had to strategy study, and all-in-all, felt like a ***** much of the time. By the end of the semester, I finally realized that I could not learn every single thing that was highlighted in the powerpoints. I ended up with a solid finish and am just hoping all my class made it through. Vet school is not for wimps!

 

[Shadow23]

After finishing my first semester, I can say that I do not love vet school, and some days, actually loathe it. I am glad for the peple that say how much they love it but have realized many people do not.
I constantly felt like I was behind in every single class, had to strategy study, and all-in-all, felt like a ***** much of the time. By the end of the semester, I finally realized that I could not learn every single thing that was highlighted in the powerpoints. I ended up with a solid finish and am just hoping all my class made it through. Vet school is not for wimps!

Congratulations on making it through the first semester. You wouldn't have gotten accepted if they didn't think you could do it!

This thread has been so helpful. I am really happy that my "vet school bubble" has been burst sooner rather than later. Now I can be realistic about my life come September, and will hopefully not be as unhappy as I could have been if I started vet school thinking it would be all fun and games. I am looking forward to the work and know I will come out at the other end if I try my hardest, just like you guys have done/are doing. I think the most important lesson I've learned from this tread is that even though you may feel like the only person struggling with the material or school in general, you are not. That was sort of a ramble, but I'll end by saying that I will enter vet school with a cautious respect that I would not have had otherwise all because of SDN. Thanks!

 

[katryn]

After finishing my first semester, I can say that I do not love vet school, and some days, actually loathe it. I am glad for the peple that say how much they love it but have realized many people do not.

Glad to hear you made it through, CSU. Hopefully next semester will at least be better for all of us for not having to adjust to the difficulty level, even if the material difficulty doesn't get easier.

And I agree, even if you like it, vet school is NOT for wimps.

 

[ColoradoDVM]

A few suggestions I would offer up:
*Don't work 30-40 hours a week the first month of vet school. It's not worth it and you will spend weeks trying to catch up
*Don't ignore the class you are most stressing about...it really isn't a helpful strategy
*figure out the main points and clinically relevent concepts first...go back and learn details only if you have time.
*chocolate usually helps any situation
*cut yourself some slack

 

[ColoradoDVM]

Katryn & Shadow23-thanks
It's good to know there's lots of support out there.
I'm 1/8 of the way to DVM!

 

[NittanyKitty]

figure out the main points and clinically relevent concepts first...go back and learn details only if you have time.

I would agree with this - learn the big stuff first and work from there. There's simply not enough time to learn every single thing about every single subject every single semester. And even if there is, I highly doubt you'll be able to spout it off within a few months of the exams.

One of the biggest challenges of vet school is being okay with not knowing everything for each exam or assessment (at least for me). It's just not worth the stress, loss of sleep, and unhappiness to commit every detail to memory. And not doing so really doesn't affect your grades or understanding of the subject. Our professors largely stressed our understanding the difference between minutiae and "walk-around" knowledge. While those pesky details certainly showed up on exams, the stuff that we saw time and time again was the information that they wanted us to know. Killing myself on studying all of those details just isn't worth it.

 

[katryn]

A few suggestions I would offer up:
*Don't work 30-40 hours a week the first month of vet school. It's not worth it and you will spend weeks trying to catch up

....is all I have to say....you crazy crazy person. >< I do work 3-4 hours on saturdays to help keep my sanity and pay for the snack shop that's right across the hall from the first year class, but I knew better than to try and keep a full time job.

 

[StartingoverVet]

Back in classes.

 

[BlacKAT33]

Back in classes.

double

 

[ColoradoDVM]

wow that was fast! New semester, new start!
It will be better

 

[gilch]

Wow! We don't go back til after MLK day. What are you guys taking this semester? No biochem, I guess, so it's bound to be better .

 

[chii chan]

Holy moly Penn is already back in classes? We've got one more week here at the Dick Vet before we start again. 4 more days at the dairy farm to complete EMS requirements, 2 days off to drink and recover, then school starts again!

 

[BlacKAT33]

Wow! We don't go back til after MLK day. What are you guys taking this semester? No biochem, I guess, so it's bound to be better .

nooooooooo biochem!!!!!!!!!! yayy!!! lol

we are in the quarter system now. we are taking anatomy, physiology, neuro, clinical, wildlife. Our schedule seems like heaven...i hope it really is and that i'm not overlooking anything lol I know these subjects are hard, but we have a lot more free time this quarter. sometimes we get out at 3pm or 4pm!! there is even a day where we only have 1 class for 1 hr!! strange haha
So i'm hoping if the amount of info is the same quantity...we'll actually have time to study lol

 

[turnbackhelly]

Not only does Cornell go back tomorrow (just first years, everyone else who isn't in clinics gets a normal break!), but we also have a paper due tomorrow, and a final in less than 2 weeks. But then we get a week off, and I'm going to LA and San Diego!

 

[eventualeventer]

I had some health/personal issues that kept me from finishing fall quarter, so I will be part of UC Davis c/o 2015 with the new, sure-to-be-awesome curriculum!

 

[BlacKAT33]

I had some health/personal issues that kept me from finishing fall quarter, so I will be part of UC Davis c/o 2015 with the new, sure-to-be-awesome curriculum!

im sorry these issues came up and i hope you are doing better now. also hope they are nice enough they returned your tuition money so you can use it again next yr!

 

[eventualeventer]

Thanks for the thoughts. Things are improving and I'm looking at doing some traveling and seeing different parts of the country (maybe visiting some people) when I have my zillion different meds and such straightened out. Haha, no, I'm actually going to have to make some payments on my loans from fall quarter, but at least it was only 1/3 of the school year.

 

[Alhazred]

This thread has been so helpful.

I second this. Thanks to everyone who's posted information about their school

 

[BlacKAT33]

I PASSED FIRST SEMESTER!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!

i am sooo excited and GRATEFUL, i'm honestly not sure i should have passed histo but i did! lol and i may have cried some happy tears when i found out haha, no making fun of me gellabella!!

 

[katryn]

I PASSED FIRST SEMESTER!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!

i am sooo excited and GRATEFUL, i'm honestly not sure i should have passed histo but i did! lol and i may have cried some happy tears when i found out haha, no making fun of me gellabella!!

CongaRats!

 

[ColoradoDVM]

I PASSED FIRST SEMESTER!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!

i am sooo excited and GRATEFUL, i'm honestly not sure i should have passed histo but i did! lol and i may have cried some happy tears when i found out haha, no making fun of me gellabella!!

Congrats! Now you can start semester 2 with a completely clean slate! I am really happy for you!

 

[parietal]

I PASSED FIRST SEMESTER!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!

Congratulations!!!

 

[BlacKAT33]

Thanks everyone!

ps- our class is sooooooo awesome! i love how so many of us are still active on SDN!! i cant wait til more of us can meet each other once we start externships, go to symposiums, etc

 

[GellaBella]

I PASSED FIRST SEMESTER!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!

i am sooo excited and GRATEFUL, i'm honestly not sure i should have passed histo but i did! lol and i may have cried some happy tears when i found out haha, no making fun of me gellabella!!

haha it was cute. I knew you could do it. Now you can focus on your awesome summer trips!

I also passed first semester!! It was a little touch and go with histo there but I made it through. woo hoo!

 

[nyanko]

Winter is supposedly the hardest quarter of first year for us here (and also the hardest quarter of second year).

Our classes are cardiovascular physiology, respiratory anatomy/phys, GI and mammary anatomy/phys, nutrition, head anatomy, neuro and radiology. I'm also taking an elective - comparative non-domestics anatomy/phys.

I think it will be a lot more fast-paced than fall quarter - as fall quarter was actually more like 12 weeks long and winter is the standard 10.

And yes, class of 2014 rules. At all the schools.

 

[racccjlm]

Thanks everyone!

ps- our class is sooooooo awesome! i love how so many of us are still active on SDN!! i cant wait til more of us can meet each other once we start externships, go to symposiums, etc

This!!!! Wish I was going to Davis this spring...maybe next year's conference! Cheers to meeting some of you some day

 

[GellaBella]

This!!!! Wish I was going to Davis this spring...maybe next year's conference! Cheers to meeting some of you some day

yeah i'm not going to the scavma symposium either but I'm sure it will be awesome. maybe next year. and yes, 2014 vet students everywhere are wicked cool.

class of 2014 everywhere FTW!

 

[katryn]

I'm super jealous of everyone who's making it to the various symposiums this year, but alas, even with the help scavma can give to members for going to those things, I still can't afford to cough up the money for it. Hopefully a job or two over the summer will give me some travel money for all of that.

And a happy yay! to everyone who passed this semester. I'm finding it slightly disorienting that first semester is already over....seems like just yesterday I was opening a letter in my driveway and screaming at the top of my lungs.

 

[squibby]

Hey Parietal, what can you tell us about Minnesota's residency rules? Can OOS students get residency after one year?

 

[parietal]

Hey Parietal, what can you tell us about Minnesota's residency rules? Can OOS students get residency after one year?

It is possible, but it isn't easy. I'm IS, so I don't know all the details, but my OOS friends who are trying for residency are either working part-time, are married to someone who is working full-time in a professional job (not just retail or something), or have bought a house here and tried to set down permanent roots. Marrying a resident is also an option.

Nothing is guaranteed, so it is a bit of a gamble.

 

[rileyroo]

Hey Parietal, what can you tell us about Minnesota's residency rules? Can OOS students get residency after one year?

it's near impossible for most otherwise i'd be sitting in st. paul, minnesota right now. but there are options like a DVM/PhD program that can help with lowering the cost of tuition if you're interested in a program like that (i think tiktaalik can help with this info)

 

[parietal]

it's near impossible for most otherwise i'd be sitting in st. paul, minnesota right now. but there are options like a DVM/PhD program that can help with lowering the cost of tuition if you're interested in a program like that (i think tiktaalik can help with this info)

He can. He's not on here much any more, but if you PM him you might get a response. Otherwise PM me with your e-mail and I'll send him your way.

FWIW, I have heard that the residency program director magically becomes more positive about people's residency chances after April 15...

 

[squibby]

FWIW, I have heard that the residency program director magically becomes more positive about people's residency chances after April 15...

?

you mean our chances are actually better than she is making them out to be right now?

 

[parietal]

?

you mean our chances are actually better than she is making them out to be right now?

I don't know for sure (as an IS student, I've never spoken to her), but several people in my class have mentioned that her attitude changes somewhat after the deadline.

Personally, I wish they would just lay out unambiguously what is required so that people can make a educated decision as to whether or not it will work for them.

 

[squibby]

Personally, I wish they would just lay out unambiguously what is required so that people can make a educated decision as to whether or not it will work for them.

Seriously!

 

[NittanyKitty]

Second semester starts bright and early tomorrow! Can't wait!!!

 

[Lissarae06]

Second semester starts bright and early tomorrow! Can't wait!!!

Us too. Except I can definitely wait.

 

[racccjlm]

Snow day!!!!! Yaaaay! One more day before the start of the semester

 

[DogTyred]

Trying to drag my butt out of bed for our first day of classes. I hope everyone has an awesome second semester. I think I will as my hubby and two dogs have finally crossed the pond to join me in Edinburgh. Good to have the family together again.

 

[squibby]

I think I will as my hubby and two dogs have finally crossed the pond to join me in Edinburgh. Good to have the family together again.

Yay!

 

[katryn]

That's awesome DogTyred! I couldn't imagine living away from the hubs and zoo.

We still have until Wednesday before classes start, and I'm really hoping the durn snow clears before then. This is the most consistent amount of stupid fluffy white stuff we've seen in a long time. It's not nearly as much fun as it used to be, and I'm definitely getting cabin fever. Add me to the list of people who can't wait to start back!

 

[Lissarae06]

First day back today. It was so long. I think I am going to like most of the classes but I am a little worried about one of them. We lost 2 people from last semester but gained 5 transfers. We actually added a guy to the class bringing our guy total up to 14 lol

 

[cowgirla]

First day back today. It was so long. I think I am going to like most of the classes but I am a little worried about one of them. We lost 2 people from last semester but gained 5 transfers. We actually added a guy to the class bringing our guy total up to 14 lol

And it helps that we have the most awesome anatomy group ever