Class of 2021 . . . how ya doin?

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batsenecal said:
On the same stream of thought, I'm not entirely sure it's entirely on the class size increase Illinois 2020 was accidently 161. One girl deferred cause she got on the Voice. One dude deferred before our first midterm. One girl left for med reasons at the end of first semester. Then three of us failed into 2021. All 6 of us are in 2021, along with a 2019 girl who needed to defer and repeat first year as well. Out of 161, losing only six isn't that bad, all things considered. It's less than 5%.
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That’s really lucky that y’all can defer and repeat first year if you don’t pass!
 
Coopah said:
I literally go over every lecture sitting next to him if possible and ask him to explain EVERYTHING. Inevitably he will and I have to say "make it stupider" because while I know it's grammatically incorrect, it just fits :laugh:
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Well, the good news is:

Some of my human medicine (MD) residents and medical students say the same thing - and unlike veterinary med students, they ONLY have to think about a human being (and not multiple species of animals). I am confident they will all become very fine docs in the future.

So, you're NOT alone!

Go get' em @Coopah ... and ALL other veterinary medicine students on SDN! You've got this! 🙂
 
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cdoconn said:
That’s really lucky that y’all can defer and repeat first year if you don’t pass!
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Honestly, our school is pretty chill about it. I think it also helps that 2020 was so massive lol. They probs didn't want to deal with having more than 160 (cause it was originally 180....)
 
I don't know the exact policies for all of it, but I do know that people leaving for good is rare here. In 3 semesters we have only had 2 people leave (one had already dropped down to our class from 2019). A total of 4 are now in or will be joining 2021, only 2 for academic reasons. Granted we have a smaller class size (around 85).
 
vetmedhead said:
Yeah, this rate would have been equivalent to my class losing 21 people in first semester alone, which is huge. At OSU (which is where I think you go, right 3M?) that would be roughly equivalent to losing about 23 students in a semester.
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Yup. We lost three and supposedly only one was actually academic. I cant even imagine. I also can’t imagine the administration not freaking out and wondering what the heck was going on...
 
cdoconn said:
Wait, this caught my eye. What are y’all a policies on that?

I’m confused because it sounded like if you failed you can join the class below.

Here’s our policy: if you get an F, you’re out. If you want back in, you reapply through VMCAS.

If you get a D (and have a certain GPA and haven’t had a D before) you can take a cumulative exam of the course and if you pass, you stay in the program. You can only get like 2 D’s total and they can’t be consecutive semesters. You’re also then put on strict probation. If you don’t pass, you’re out (same rules apply, I’d have to apply for VMCAS for class of 2023)
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Our school's policy is if you get below a 70% you have to redo whatever you failed over the summer. If it's only one test, that's the only thing you have to make up. If you get more than one fail per year you have to repeat the year. Also at any point you can take a year off at any point with no questions asked.
 
Doctor-S said:
Well, the good news is:

Some of my human medicine (MD) residents and medical students say the same thing - and unlike veterinary med students, they ONLY have to think about a human being (and not multiple species of animals). I am confident they will all become very fine docs in the future.

So, you're NOT alone!

Go get' em @Coopah ... and ALL other veterinary medicine students on SDN! You've got this! 🙂
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You are the literal best Doc S 😍
 
Thankfully I don't think we've lost any so far, I know one was considering leaving because it's not for her, but she's finishing the semester anyways so nothing yet. We have one from 2020 but nothing academic I believe.
 
Ok, reading through these stories about different academic policies and thought I would weigh on for MSU (which I’m sure will change with the new curriculum) but basically, you could get a 1.0 in a course and as long as your semester and cumulative GPA remain above 2.0, you’re in good standing. Two semesters of substandard performance and you get dropped to the class below to repeat that year. Then there are levels 1-3 of academic probation before, and if you get a 0.0 in course, you may be able to remediate the material depending. It seems like a couple different meetings happen before actual dismissal occurs.

In our first year, I’m pretty sure we only lost 3 class mates. 1 student left in the first month (not sure why), 1 dropped to the class below due to medical reasons, and 1 left for what I believe are academic reasons.

I feel like once you are accepted, MSU does everything in their power to keep you.
 
wallydo said:
Ok, reading through these stories about different academic policies and thought I would weigh on for MSU (which I’m sure will change with the new curriculum) but basically, you could get a 1.0 in a course and as long as your semester and cumulative GPA remain above 2.0, you’re in good standing. Two semesters of substandard performance and you get dropped to the class below to repeat that year. Then there are levels 1-3 of academic probation before, and if you get a 0.0 in course, you may be able to remediate the material depending. It seems like a couple different meetings happen before actual dismissal occurs.

In our first year, I’m pretty sure we only lost 3 class mates. 1 student left in the first month (not sure why), 1 dropped to the class below due to medical reasons, and 1 left for what I believe are academic reasons.

I feel like once you are accepted, MSU does everything in their power to keep you.
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Was wondering that
 
cdoconn said:
Class of 2022 and beyond, don’t read the spoiler!!! I don’t want my cynicism to impede your excitement!

I don’t know if vet school (or the fact that we lost 15% of our class last semester- 16 students) beat the optimist out of me, but my friend got accepted to the class of 2022 and everyone’s commenting that she’s going to be a doctor. And you know, a lot of people said they were going to be a doctor in April. They were all super excited to start vet school, they were all thrilled. It makes me sad. And it’s not just my school, there’s a pretty high first year fail out rate nationwide. It’s not that we don’t have smart students, so then what? How do we celebrate the incoming class when we realize that at the current trend, 15% of them will be gone in a semester?
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Good lord that is a lot. I think we have lost 1; may lose 1 more solely for medical reasons (and they will be back next year if that happens). That's on the school at that point, and is unfortunate. I'm sorry, it has to be stressful to see that, too.
 
cdoconn said:
Wait, this caught my eye. What are y’all a policies on that?

I’m confused because it sounded like if you failed you can join the class below.

Here’s our policy: if you get an F, you’re out. If you want back in, you reapply through VMCAS.

If you get a D (and have a certain GPA and haven’t had a D before) you can take a cumulative exam of the course and if you pass, you stay in the program. You can only get like 2 D’s total and they can’t be consecutive semesters. You’re also then put on strict probation. If you don’t pass, you’re out (same rules apply, I’d have to apply for VMCAS for class of 2023)
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If you get a D, you can retake the class (i.e. be held back a year). If you get an F, more than one D within 3 semesters, or more than two D's overall, you're dismissed. I wish we had some sort of opportunity for a remedial exam for people with a D, so far pharm is the only class that offers this, but like I said it seems like they try to curve things and help people out so not many people are in that position.
 
I would have killed for a remediation exam at the time. Especially since I was so close, it was literally the luck of how the questions were written/what they testep on.

In hindsight, I'm much happier now than I was at any point last year. I don't think i would have such an improved attitude had I stayed in 2020.
 
batsenecal said:
In hindsight, I'm much happier now than I was at any point last year. I don't think i would have such an improved attitude had I stayed in 2020.
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It's interesting how much of an impact your peers make. I've heard the same from some of the people who dropped into our class from 2020. I'm sure for at least a few people in every class not jiving with the overall class culture can be a pretty big issue that negatively affects their ability to succeed.
 
Do y'all have any suggestions for a 2022er about what wish you knew before taking certain classes and ways to study for them? I know studying varies by person but knowing what you found to work for you may help someone else looking to find a better method.
 
MusicManiac19 said:
Do y'all have any suggestions for a 2022er about what wish you knew before taking certain classes and ways to study for them? I know studying varies by person but knowing what you found to work for you may help someone else looking to find a better method.
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Just try different things out and wait to see if they work before switching methods. Stay healthy, mentally and physically, and find joy where you can. Your brain works so much better on 8 hours than 5+ internal harassment that you haven't done enough. Give yourself enough time that if your brain is fighting you, get up walk away and come back to it. Good luck! And may the odds be ever in your favor!
 
MusicManiac19 said:
Do y'all have any suggestions for a 2022er about what wish you knew before taking certain classes and ways to study for them? I know studying varies by person but knowing what you found to work for you may help someone else looking to find a better method.
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Talk to your professors. They can help explain things and give you tips, but for me, the more important part is that you get to know your professor as a person and in general you develop a lot more respect for them. When you learn that the "really difficult and scary" professor is just someone who is enthusiastic about their stuff and is doing their best to get students to learn the material, your attitude gets better and you are super motivated to learn so you don't disappoint them. It's also a little extra initiative to show up and pay attention in class. (Although some people thrive on staying home and watching the recording...)
Use your friends. Trying to explain things to each other helps you find the holes in your knowledge and your friend can throw in some additions and a perspective you didn't have.
 
MusicManiac19 said:
Do y'all have any suggestions for a 2022er about what wish you knew before taking certain classes and ways to study for them? I know studying varies by person but knowing what you found to work for you may help someone else looking to find a better method.
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I've studied a bunch for different ways, and for me at least it has been a lot of figuring out what works for particular subjects. I'll echo what coop said above - take care of yourself. Your health is more important than your grades, and making sure you're still a person while you're busy being a vet student will be beneficial for your learning.

In general, active study methods are going to be better than passive ones, and finding a group to review with can be immensely helpful.
 
vetmedhead said:
It's interesting how much of an impact your peers make. I've heard the same from some of the people who dropped into our class from 2020. I'm sure for at least a few people in every class not jiving with the overall class culture can be a pretty big issue that negatively affects their ability to succeed.
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Most of my friends are from 2020 still as well. And I actually like a lot of the class on a person by person basis. But put everyone in a room together and I don't like the personality of the group (which is so weird).
 
cdoconn said:
it’s really going to stink getting all of those new island transfers. That’s a lot of people they’re adding to get us back to 106
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It won't stink. Both of my years, the island transfers have been some of my best friends. I welcomed a bit of new blood from the clusters that grouped together first semester/ first year.

ETA: Plus, they bring a fresh view and sense of excitement after the strife that is first year. 🙂
 
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Refuse to go to campus tomorrow unless I get called in for EET. Otherwise, it's lazy day!
 
Lupin21 said:
It won't stink. Both of my years, the island transfers have been some of my best friends. I welcomed a bit of new blood from the clusters that grouped together first semester/ first year.

ETA: Plus, they bring a fresh view and sense of excitement after the strife that is first year. 🙂
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(I meant just adding more bodies into the currently crowded bathrooms. :laugh:) but yes, I’m excited to meet new people.
 
cdoconn said:
(I meant just adding more bodies into the currently crowded bathrooms. :laugh:) but yes, I’m excited to meet new people.
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Oh yes. The good news is the seats will likely become more and more sparse anyway as those who do better with echo figure that out. haha

I do feel terrible that the audience stinks for lectures at times, but for me, it was impossible to sit in lecture and not get so irritated with the little noises and slowness of speed the lecture was given. I hope to make it up to the clinical professors in fourth year instead. lol
 
As of tomorrow I will officially have 3 weeks left before I can wash my hands of this whole "first year" business. I may even manage to remember some of the things I've learned this year! :heckyeah:

I might even start calling myself a "rising second year" this summer. 😛 😀
 
MusicManiac19 said:
Do y'all have any suggestions for a 2022er about what wish you knew before taking certain classes and ways to study for them? I know studying varies by person but knowing what you found to work for you may help someone else looking to find a better method.
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Fortunately at Davis our first block is pass or fail, so that's a great opportunity to switch up studying methods & see what works best! If your school offers any pass or fail, utilize it to find what works for you. Just know going into vet school that what you did in undergrad might not work the same in vet school and be open to trying new techniques. 🙂

I knew coming into vet school, hearing from other classes, that I would likely have to type notes instead of handwriting like I did in undergrad due to the workload. The adjustment actually wasn't bad! I made flashcards in undergrad for everything and now in vet school I make Quizlet flashcards since typing is a lot faster. It's worked for me in every block so far so I think I found what works for me!
 
SkiOtter said:
(I think it was a joke because you don’t rise in the morning)

But also, you are not a piece of trash
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Ohhhhhhh Hahahaha I didn't get that. Yeah no I’m not a morning person. Didn’t help that I finally fell asleep at 3 (after trying to actually go to sleep for 4 hours)
 
cdoconn said:
I woke up too late to make it to my 8 am class on time, so I rewarded my bad behavior with breakfast. 3 weeks!
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This morning I had class at 8 and a test at 9... I woke up at 8:35. 😳 Still made it to my test on time, though!

batsenecal said:
I never understood the "rising" part of the phrasing.
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I think it's just to avoid confusion over "wait, so did you just finish that year or are you going into that year?" I just say "I'm going into ____ year" or "I'm starting ___ year in the fall," it sounds less pretentious. :laugh:
 
LyraGardenia said:
This morning I had class at 8 and a test at 9... I woke up at 8:35. 😳 Still made it to my test on time, though!


I think it's just to avoid confusion over "wait, so did you just finish that year or are you going into that year?" I just say "I'm going into ____ year" or "I'm starting ___ year in the fall," it sounds less pretentious. :laugh:
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I want to sound like a phoenix rising from the ashes though!
 
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