Class of 2021 . . . how ya doin?

Veterinary School Application Advising Ad
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Members do not see this ad.
mmmdreamerz said:
My ideal career would have both medical and surgical aspects, and have some degree of long term patients/continuity of care. I don't know if such a specialty exists haha.
Click to expand...
Neuro would fit that. Surgical cases come in the form of IVDD, mass removals, cervical spondylomyelopathy, traumas, etc. Medical cases including medical management of IVDD, meningitis cases, liver shunts, seizures, etc. We'd see medical IVDD and meningitis dogs regularly for months to years, and the seizure dogs were often lifers coming in every few months. @nyanko can probably preach more about neuro and it's wonderfulness. I ended up liking my neuro rotations way more than I expected to. Even if a good proportion of the clients were a special kind of crazy and the neurologist I worked for was intense.
 
JaynaAli said:
Neuro would fit that. Surgical cases come in the form of IVDD, mass removals, cervical spondylomyelopathy, traumas, etc. Medical cases including medical management of IVDD, meningitis cases, liver shunts, seizures, etc. We'd see medical IVDD and meningitis dogs regularly for months to years, and the seizure dogs were often lifers coming in every few months. @nyanko can probably preach more about neuro and it's wonderfulness. I ended up liking my neuro rotations way more than I expected to. Even if a good proportion of the clients were a special kind of crazy and the neurologist I worked for was intense.
Click to expand...

Ya'll are so insanely helpful.
 
Shelter medicine 😍 At least for now. Most of my vet experience has been in shelters and I've loved it far more than everything else. I think it fits be personality and skills well, too. All these specialities sound fascinating but I've had so little exposure to them that I don't know what I'd like. That's fine- that's what vet school is for!

I don't think I'll actually specialize though. I'll be in my early 30s when I graduate, and while my debt should be below average, I don't know if a few years of internship/residency and accumulating interest on loans would be a good idea considering I'll have fewer years to save for retirement.
 
TrashPanda said:
Shelter medicine 😍 At least for now. Most of my vet experience has been in shelters and I've loved it far more than everything else. I think it fits be personality and skills well, too. All these specialities sound fascinating but I've had so little exposure to them that I don't know what I'd like. That's fine- that's what vet school is for!

I don't think I'll actually specialize though. I'll be in my early 30s when I graduate, and while my debt should be below average, I don't know if a few years of internship/residency and accumulating interest on loans would be a good idea considering I'll have fewer years to save for retirement.
Click to expand...
High volume spay neuter (often associated with shelters) actually pays shockingly well.
 
Ashgirl said:
That extra year of tuition though 😱.

Well, the good news is, the waitlists haven't even started moving yet, so who knows, you may still have a chance at these schools 🙂
Click to expand...
I did discuss tuition costs with my SO and my parents, and they said that money was not an issue. I already have enough debt from attending a private undergrad that I'll be paying off loans for the rest of my life, probably long enough for forgiveness or until I die lol. Another 50k tacked on doesn't seem like much from that perspective. But I definitely am still thinking about COL.

I guess I'm just nervous because I feel like I need to look for housing now and plan out my future, so I was just thinking ahead for possibilities.

SummerTheLynx said:
I guess the other question is what's the rationale for transferring? My fiancé transferred here so we could be together during vet school. It is possible, but it's a heck of a lot of work, and depending on the reasoning for it, may or may not be worth it
Click to expand...
I'd be transferring for career opportunities (Tufts' curriculum + opportunities and UGA's location, I'm interesting in Public Health) as well as my significant other. He's finishing up a Masters' right now and he's intending to go into epi, which is a career that's located primarily in urban areas. Tufts is right by Boston and UGA is near Atlanta, which is where so many PH opportunities are.

Manhattan, KS has absolutely nothing for him in that regard, unless he continues his education with K-State which is not financially feasible for us. A 4-year LDR just seems miserable to me. Is your finance also in vet med??
 
mmmdreamerz said:
Exactly lol

Optho. I'll keep that in mind...
Click to expand...
An opthalmologist who does consults for us told me that optho is also great because:

1) you still see challenging cases (like cardio or IM) but the average long-term survival rate/prognosis for your patients is a lot higher
2) you get to do surgery on younger patients as well as older ones, and can therefore look forward to giving them long happy lives (in which they can now SEE!)
3) lots of fancy toys
4) very good pay & oftentimes more flexible schedule compared with some other specialties

So, some more bonuses. I wish I liked eyes more! lol

Sent from my Nexus 5X using SDN mobile
 
PippyPony said:
An opthalmologist who does consults for us told me that optho is also great because:

1) you still see challenging cases (like cardio or IM) but the average long-term survival rate/prognosis for your patients is a lot higher
2) you get to do surgery on younger patients as well as older ones, and can therefore look forward to giving them long happy lives (in which they can now SEE!)
3) lots of fancy toys
4) very good pay & oftentimes more flexible schedule compared with some other specialties

So, some more bonuses. I wish I liked eyes more! lol

Sent from my Nexus 5X using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
also ophthalmologists are basically magical creatures. I see eye cases and I'm like efffff okay, exam then consult the books. Ophthalmologists basically just look at things and basic tests and bam, diagnosis. None of the crazy futzing around with bajillions of tests like IM or expensive stuff like neuro.
 
PippyPony said:
An opthalmologist who does consults for us told me that optho is also great because:

1) you still see challenging cases (like cardio or IM) but the average long-term survival rate/prognosis for your patients is a lot higher
2) you get to do surgery on younger patients as well as older ones, and can therefore look forward to giving them long happy lives (in which they can now SEE!)
3) lots of fancy toys
4) very good pay & oftentimes more flexible schedule compared with some other specialties

So, some more bonuses. I wish I liked eyes more! lol

Sent from my Nexus 5X using SDN mobile
Click to expand...

nyanko said:
Yeah ophtho is like neuro except with less super tragic/sad/wtf cases and a more flexible schedule.
Click to expand...

nyanko said:
Also eyes are boring compared to the entire nervous system. 🙂
Click to expand...

This is all really good information haha. I feel super enlightened!
 
Great Butts said:
I did discuss tuition costs with my SO and my parents, and they said that money was not an issue. I already have enough debt from attending a private undergrad that I'll be paying off loans for the rest of my life, probably long enough for forgiveness or until I die lol. Another 50k tacked on doesn't seem like much from that perspective. But I definitely am still thinking about COL.

I guess I'm just nervous because I feel like I need to look for housing now and plan out my future, so I was just thinking ahead for possibilities.


I'd be transferring for career opportunities (Tufts' curriculum + opportunities and UGA's location, I'm interesting in Public Health) as well as my significant other. He's finishing up a Masters' right now and he's intending to go into epi, which is a career that's located primarily in urban areas. Tufts is right by Boston and UGA is near Atlanta, which is where so many PH opportunities are.

Manhattan, KS has absolutely nothing for him in that regard, unless he continues his education with K-State which is not financially feasible for us. A 4-year LDR just seems miserable to me. Is your finance also in vet med??
Click to expand...
One thing to keep in mind is that 50k is not 50k. 50k with interest becomes a lot more. And when money is forgiven, you are still paying taxes on the amount forgiven, which is significant.

I will say that career opportunities with public health, you should focus on programs that have MPH programs, which I know K-state has. (and I think @LyraGardenia told me they are now doing it where you don't need an extra year?). But that makes perfect sense with regards to going where your SO can have work. I will say that the next step for him would be a PhD if he was interested, and that would usually consist of paid tutition, if not a stipend on top of it.

She is also vet med
 
I'm sure surgery is completely different if you're the vet actually performing it, but as an assistant it just made me so stressed. Every once in a while we'd have a dog or cat who I couldn't for the life of me hear a RR for with a stethoscope, and then they don't fog up their trach tube and I'm like oh god it's not breathing, and . . .

Nope. Don't love it. :laugh:
 
TrashPanda said:
I don't think I'll actually specialize though. I'll be in my early 30s when I graduate, and while my debt should be below average, I don't know if a few years of internship/residency and accumulating interest on loans would be a good idea considering I'll have fewer years to save for retirement.
Click to expand...

Oh to be so young again...:luck:

but seriously, I'll be in my early (mid? eeeek) 30s when I start school. I totally get the point about saving for retirement, but depending on where you're starting from (and other factors like SO's income/debt ratio, etc), it can still be doable to specialize. Keep in mind that there is usually also a small upside after that residency in terms of earning potential. If you want to do shelter med or GP, then by all means do those because they are both great, but don't write off specialization just because you'll be a little older.

Now on the other hand, if your concern about doing a residency is how to actually physically handle one while 1) needing 9 hours of sleep per night and 2) having a family/young kids, then let's have a pity party together. I'll start:

+pity+
 
PrincessButterCup said:
I'm sure surgery is completely different if you're the vet actually performing it, but as an assistant it just made me so stressed. Every once in a while we'd have a dog or cat who I couldn't for the life of me hear a RR for with a stethoscope, and then they don't fog up their trach tube and I'm like oh god it's not breathing, and . . .

Nope. Don't love it. :laugh:
Click to expand...
This is why I love a ventilator. Take away one thing to worry about.
 
SummerTheLynx said:
One thing to keep in mind is that 50k is not 50k. 50k with interest becomes a lot more. And when money is forgiven, you are still paying taxes on the amount forgiven, which is significant.

I will say that career opportunities with public health, you should focus on programs that have MPH programs, which I know K-state has. (and I think @LyraGardenia told me they are now doing it where you don't need an extra year?). But that makes perfect sense with regards to going where your SO can have work. I will say that the next step for him would be a PhD if he was interested, and that would usually consist of paid tutition, if not a stipend on top of it.

She is also vet med
Click to expand...
Very true, taxes somehow slipped my mind in that regard.

I really love K-State and the fact that they do have MPH/DVM program - they also have some amazing research going on that I'd be very interested in. I think I'd be happy if I ended up at K-State, but I would definitely try to transfer if I could. My SO and I talked about him doing a PhD, but he says that he's not ready/not sure if that's the next step for him. He wants to get some real-world experience before diving into more schooling, which I can understand.

I was just wondering how often it is for people to transfer from a state-side school to another state-side school and for SO reasons. If you don't mind me asking, what reason did your fiance use in her transfer app?
 
PippyPony said:
Oh to be so young again...:luck:

but seriously, I'll be in my early (mid? eeeek) 30s when I start school. I totally get the point about saving for retirement, but depending on where you're starting from (and other factors like SO's income/debt ratio, etc), it can still be doable to specialize. Keep in mind that there is usually also a small upside after that residency in terms of earning potential. If you want to do shelter med or GP, then by all means do those because they are both great, but don't write off specialization just because you'll be a little older.

Now on the other hand, if your concern about doing a residency is how to actually physically handle one while 1) needing 9 hours of sleep per night and 2) having a family/young kids, then let's have a pity party together. I'll start:

+pity+
Click to expand...

Definitely! I don't at all mean that everyone my age or older shouldn't specialize, just that I probably won't. I'm open to it if I find something I'm super passionate about and can make the money work out.

I don't have children and will not have any, so that's one thing that could make things easier, both in terms of time and money! But I do really, really like sleep.
 
Great Butts said:
Very true, taxes somehow slipped my mind in that regard.

I really love K-State and the fact that they do have MPH/DVM program - they also have some amazing research going on that I'd be very interested in. I think I'd be happy if I ended up at K-State, but I would definitely try to transfer if I could. My SO and I talked about him doing a PhD, but he says that he's not ready/not sure if that's the next step for him. He wants to get some real-world experience before diving into more schooling, which I can understand.

I was just wondering how often it is for people to transfer from a state-side school to another state-side school and for SO reasons. If you don't mind me asking, what reason did your fiance use in her transfer app?
Click to expand...
It's very rare. Before my fiance, they hadn't done so in 18 years at my school. And they knew she was coming, it was kind of a "yes she can do it, as long as she maintains her grades" type of deal. There wasn't a whole lot on the explanation front, but Mizzou is pretty awesome in that they will do as much as they can for their students, and that was one way in which they made it work for me.
 
SummerTheLynx said:
It's very rare. Before my fiance, they hadn't done so in 18 years at my school. And they knew she was coming, it was kind of a "yes she can do it, as long as she maintains her grades" type of deal. There wasn't a whole lot on the explanation front, but Mizzou is pretty awesome in that they will do as much as they can for their students, and that was one way in which they made it work for me.
Click to expand...
So part of the reason that they allowed her to transfer was for you?
 
Great Butts said:
So part of the reason that they allowed her to transfer was for you?
Click to expand...
Yeah, they even took away a rule saying people that applied to the school and were rejected are able to transfer. But they also did a lot of that because I was in the vet school already so there is that.
 
SummerTheLynx said:
Yeah, they even took away a rule saying people that applied to the school and were rejected are able to transfer. But they also did a lot of that because I was in the vet school already so there is that.
Click to expand...
That is pretty awesome, I wouldn't have thought a veterinary school would do something like that for their students. I'm glad that you and your fiance are able to stay together!
 
I really love surgery and emergency medicine. 😍 But not sure if I want to do a residency after school since I'm already starting later than some. Figured I'd take it week by week once I'm there cuz I know my interests may change. Lol
 
aggievethopeful2021 said:
I really love surgery and emergency medicine. 😍 But not sure if I want to do a residency after school since I'm already starting later than some. Figured I'd take it week by week once I'm there cuz I know my interests may change. Lol
Click to expand...
Not to mention the burn out. urk.
 
Coopah said:
I'd take that without the unicorns anyday. Wanna switch? You could do vet school again... 😀 yeah no one would ever switch 🙁
Click to expand...
Don't worry, unicorns are extinct now. You see, they are like horses in the respect that they wanted to try their best to kill themselves, but unlike horses, have a big pointy horn to help them with their efforts
 
SummerTheLynx said:
Don't worry, unicorns are extinct now. You see, they are like horses in the respect that they wanted to try their best to kill themselves, but unlike horses, have a big pointy horn to help them with their efforts
Click to expand...

5322e21baece75c99fd92823a0baec99.jpg
 
nessie5876 said:
I dont even know if I want to track large or small animal yet lol. I have loved everything I have been exposed to so far :help:. Going to vet school with an open mind!
Click to expand...

I feel ya! I wanted to track mix because I have loved everything so far and thankfully Kansas doesn't track so that makes it easier for me. Right now I have a couple of ideas. If I decide I love the Midwest, then I want to become a board certified swine veterinarian. If I decide I want to move back to California, I'm thinking of working at a mixed practice in a rural area. However, I also absolutely love neurology and have tossed around the idea of doing an internship/residency in that. Then, I'm also interested in zoo med. Pretty much whatever I'm exposed to, I get super into it and want to do that so it changes haha thankfully there's time for me to decide what exactly I am going to do!
 
TrashPanda said:
I don't think I'll actually specialize though. I'll be in my early 30s when I graduate, and while my debt should be below average, I don't know if a few years of internship/residency and accumulating interest on loans would be a good idea considering I'll have fewer years to save for retirement.
Click to expand...

This is what I'm thinking too. I'll be 41 when I graduate and as much as I love vet med I do want to retire someday.
 
nessie5876 said:
I dont even know if I want to track large or small animal yet lol. I have loved everything I have been exposed to so far :help:. Going to vet school with an open mind!
Click to expand...
Same here. So many people on here seem to have a pretty good idea of what they want to do after graduation so I'm glad to hear I'm not the only unsure one haha. I love cats, but I ended up working with horses for the past year (for the first time in my life) I really loved those insane animals. Also I love animal shelters, I could see myself working in shelter med. So not really sure....
 
For those of you going into school not knowing what you want to do, that's more than okay! You have plenty of time to test out career options and get your feet wet in different aspects of vet med. You might change your mind 15 times. And that's okay too! When I entered vet school I was dead set on being a mixed animal vet, but now I am more interested in emergency and critical care. Could I change my mind again? Sure!

Just don't rush it, regardless of how you might feel you don't need an answer right now of what you want to do with the rest of your lives. It will all come in due time 🙂.
 
Agreed with what Ashgirl said, definitely don't worry about not knowing exactly what you want to do. Even if you think you know, there's a good chance you'll change your mind or find other things you're interested in! Personally I find everything in vet school pretty fascinating even if it's not exactly what I want to do with my life. Going in with an open mind is the way to do it 🙂
 
Trilt said:
i feel like unicorns would still colic and I don't have the patience for that ****
Click to expand...
can you imagine trying to pass a tube? one hit from them throwing their head and you could be eviscerated
 
SummerTheLynx said:
I will say that career opportunities with public health, you should focus on programs that have MPH programs, which I know K-state has. (and I think @LyraGardenia told me they are now doing it where you don't need an extra year?). But that makes perfect sense with regards to going where your SO can have work. I will say that the next step for him would be a PhD if he was interested, and that would usually consist of paid tutition, if not a stipend on top of it.
Click to expand...
Very late response, but I know next to nothing about our dual degree programs so you didn't hear it from me! :laugh:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

overcastkidjuno
Class of 2028... how you doin?
Replies
22
Views
4K
BioAg22
BioAg22
IvyMoose
Class of 2027... how you doin'?
2 3
Replies
114
Views
15K
thenontraveler
thenontraveler
K
Class of 2026... how you doin'?
3 4 5 6 7
Replies
316
Views
40K
pp9
pp9
K
Online, Self-Paced Animal Nutrition Class?
Replies
5
Views
876
Koffeekat
K
PhiloslothicalStudent
Class of 2025... How you doin’?
6 7 8 9 10
Replies
494
Views
85K
sheepcowdoghorse23
sheepcowdoghorse23
Top