Class of 2026... how you doin'?

[puppydogtor]

Haha! Yes! The fluffs are worth it, for sure! Are yours accumulated within a week or spaced out?

Ours are spaced out, we have had 2 exams every week this quarter. I'm so drained honestly

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[Momochi]

Grades have been released so now I can say that I am officially done with first year! Yaaaaay!!! 🥳🎉🎊

This year has had its ups and downs, but I’ve met so many amazing people and hope to continue to grow and improve as a person. I hope everyone has a great summer filled with new experiences and some much deserved R&R! 😉

 

[AceHydro]

Me watching all of you starting summer break. We have another 8 weeks of classes left until our summer. Live life to the fullest y’all. I’ll live vicariously through you 🩷

 

[battie]

Me watching all of you starting summer break. We have another 8 weeks of classes left until our summer. Live life to the fullest y’all. I’ll live vicariously through you 🩷

In hindsight, I feel like yalls set up is ideal in the long run, tbh. I'd rather have had the two years of clinics in a row than our random AF clinical quarters at Illinois. 🤣

 

[alleycat03]

In hindsight, I feel like yalls set up is ideal in the long run, tbh. I'd rather have had the two years of clinics in a row than our random AF clinical quarters at Illinois. 🤣

And that’s even better than only having 1 year of clinics and nothing before them to really prepare you! 😅

 

[katiemcat]

I have my last exam tomorrow (radiology), so psyched to have a break!

 

[puppydogtor]

I have my first final tomorrow! Feels good to be in the home stretch but exams every day next week is gonna be ruthless. My mental health has led to grades I'm not proud of, but sticking through it is an accomplishment in itself tbh

 

[Bonfuturedvm]

6 finals down, 2 more to go. I’m tired.

 

[katiemcat]

I have my first final tomorrow! Feels good to be in the home stretch but exams every day next week is gonna be ruthless. My mental health has led to grades I'm not proud of, but sticking through it is an accomplishment in itself tbh

Idk you but I’m so proud of you for pushing through! You can do this!

 

[battie]

My mental health has led to grades I'm not proud of, but sticking through it is an accomplishment in itself tbh

At this end of all of this, you'll be a doctor and that's what matters. No one cares about the grades, the rank. Good job for doing the thing and making it to this point! I hope you have a phenomenal break ❤️

 

[futuredogtor614]

I was waiting for grades to be released before I said anything, but I am officially done with first year!!

 

[snuggs114]

Disappeared from here for quite a while to focus on my mental health, but I'm feeling really grateful to have gotten through year one! I've been grateful for a chance to get back into the clinic setting this summer and continue learning. This year was really tough, but if I've learned anything... reach out for help when you're struggling- suffering in silence is not worth it.

 

[Momochi]

This year was really tough, but if I've learned anything... reach out for help when you're struggling- suffering in silence is not worth it.

I absolutely second this! If you guys have friends, family, a partner, or even free counseling offered through your school, please reach out sooner rather than later. It took me a very long time to finally see one of our wellness counselors. Your wellbeing is so much more important than any test in vet school.

I hope you’re doing better, Snuggs! ❤️

 

[katiemcat]

The fear/excitement/anticipation of starting 2nd year 😤 When does everyone go back? Thoughts? Feelings?

 

[BlackCatsRuleTheWorld]

The fear/excitement/anticipation of starting 2nd year 😤 When does everyone go back? Thoughts? Feelings?

UMN isn't til after labor day lol. Def feeling nervous and anxious tho, but excited as well!

 

[EB73674]

We're back on August 22nd - I'm mostly excited with a little smidge of dread/anxiety. I was excited to see that tOSU took a lot of our feedback about scheduling in the new curriculum, we finally don't have rotating class times each week! I can finally have a consistent work/school schedule!

 

[SkiOtter]

we finally don't have rotating class times each week! I can finally have a consistent work/school schedule!

W h a t?!
Like your classes didn’t start at 8/9 every day, lunch from 12-1 and then more classes from 1 to sometime in the afternoon?????? They just had random ass start times????

 

[EB73674]

W h a t?!
Like your classes didn’t start at 8/9 every day, lunch from 12-1 and then more classes from 1 to sometime in the afternoon?????? They just had random ass start times????

Well, kinda - our clinical skills labs were all varied times once a week, but otherwise we did generally start at 8/8:30. But we would bounce around to different classes - some Tuesdays we'd be in anatomy lab first, some we'd have lecture first, some we'd have case-based classes first, and it would vary how long we'd need to stay in the afternoons. It just got to be SO hard to schedule work shifts around it, which pretty much all of us agreed upon. Now we have basically the same set schedule weekly, no bouncing around which class is first!

 

[Momochi]

We start on the 21st! 😱
I’m excited to be one step closer to getting that DVM, but I’m also a bit nervous as I’ve heard second year is pretty rough. 😳

What classes is everyone taking? For this semester we have clin path, sys path, virology, bact, and pharm!

 

[SkiOtter]

Well, kinda - our clinical skills labs were all varied times once a week, but otherwise we did generally start at 8/8:30. But we would bounce around to different classes - some Tuesdays we'd be in anatomy lab first, some we'd have lecture first, some we'd have case-based classes first, and it would vary how long we'd need to stay in the afternoons. It just got to be SO hard to schedule work shifts around it, which pretty much all of us agreed upon. Now we have basically the same set schedule weekly, no bouncing around which class is first!

Oh god that sounds terrible.
Uiuc pretty much always had the schedule available for every 8 week block at the beginning of those 8 weeks and for the most part it was consistent between weeks. Anatomy lab was always the same afternoons of the week unless there was some weirdness that made it need to be in the morning (which I think was maybe once?). Histo lab was always the same mornings of the week as well. Occasionally the specific classes weren’t exactly the same if one prof needed extra time vs splitting their lecture up into 2 days, but the time periods we were in the lecture hall still were pretty consistent, even if the actual classes changed on occasion. I’m glad your school listened and is doing consistent scheduling!!!

 

[katiemcat]

We start on the 21st! 😱
I’m excited to be one step closer to getting that DVM, but I’m also a bit nervous as I’ve heard second year is pretty rough. 😳

What classes is everyone taking? For this semester we have clin path, sys path, virology, bact, and pharm!

Pharm, clin path, therio, cardiopum, radiology 2!

 

[EB73674]

Oh god that sounds terrible.
Uiuc pretty much always had the schedule available for every 8 week block at the beginning of those 8 weeks and for the most part it was consistent between weeks. Anatomy lab was always the same afternoons of the week unless there was some weirdness that made it need to be in the morning (which I think was maybe once?). Histo lab was always the same mornings of the week as well. Occasionally the specific classes weren’t exactly the same if one prof needed extra time vs splitting their lecture up into 2 days, but the time periods we were in the lecture hall still were pretty consistent, even if the actual classes changed on occasion. I’m glad your school listened and is doing consistent scheduling!!!

Yeah, I was a little cynical about whether or not they'd listen to our feedback, but I think they've done a good job working within the confines of what they have while still making improvements. I also just went and checked, they changed it for the incoming first years as well, so that's pretty good too. This new curriculum was overall, I think, implemented fairly well, and I'm definitely retaining more than I did on the old one. I actually have time to study & digest the material when I don't have an exam every single Monday, and I was even able to sprinkle in some fun time last semester.

 

[EB73674]

We start on the 21st! 😱
I’m excited to be one step closer to getting that DVM, but I’m also a bit nervous as I’ve heard second year is pretty rough. 😳

What classes is everyone taking? For this semester we have clin path, sys path, virology, bact, and pharm!

Our new curriculum has us doing essentially the same basics every year - 1 big animal-based class, 1 big population medicine class, communications, professional development, clinical skills, and a case-based problem-solving class. So we've got all of our usuals, but instead of Healthy Animals and Healthy Populations, we've got Diseases & Diagnostics and Population Medicine! We shall see how this all goes! I'm the psychopath already getting my planner out & syncing my Google Calendar & keeping the rest of my class on track with dates in the group chat...

 

[EB73674]

Also, out of curiosity, anyone have a method that they feel worked well for managing a higher energy dog while in school? I had a beautiful 2 year old Black Mouth Cur drop into my lap this summer, and I adopted her officially as of last week. She's been on sedation for heartworm treatment all summer, so I'm not 100% sure what her energy levels will be like, but my Googling as led me to think she may need a lot. Current plans are walking and/or training time at least 1 hour daily, except for exam & work days where she'll go to daycare, plus lots of enrichment & hangout time with me while I study. She also has my roommate's dog to play with, so I'm planning some Sniffspot outings for them every few days. Any other thoughts?

 

[JaynaAli]

Also, out of curiosity, anyone have a method that they feel worked well for managing a higher energy dog while in school? I had a beautiful 2 year old Black Mouth Cur drop into my lap this summer, and I adopted her officially as of last week. She's been on sedation for heartworm treatment all summer, so I'm not 100% sure what her energy levels will be like, but my Googling as led me to think she may need a lot. Current plans are walking and/or training time at least 1 hour daily, except for exam & work days where she'll go to daycare, plus lots of enrichment & hangout time with me while I study. She also has my roommate's dog to play with, so I'm planning some Sniffspot outings for them every few days. Any other thoughts?

Mental stimulation can be just as tiring as exercise. Obviously they don’t replace each other, but my dogs nap far longer after we’ve don’t some scentwork or obedience training than if we go on a walk. Providing stuff to chew or puzzle toys to keep themselves busy when you’re studying can also be helpful. But honestly most adult dogs spend a lot of the day sleeping so you’ll probably be fine.

 

[futuredogtor614]

The fear/excitement/anticipation of starting 2nd year 😤 When does everyone go back? Thoughts? Feelings?

We also start back the 21st. I'm excited to see everyone again and get back in the classroom, but sad to see break ending.

We start on the 21st! 😱
I’m excited to be one step closer to getting that DVM, but I’m also a bit nervous as I’ve heard second year is pretty rough. 😳

What classes is everyone taking? For this semester we have clin path, sys path, virology, bact, and pharm!

Looks like we're starting off this quarter with gen path, genetics, immunology, pharm, and toxicology. Next quarter looks like it'll be bact/myco, parasitology, virology, antimicrobials, and various labs.

 

[battie]

We also start back the 21st. I'm excited to see everyone again and get back in the classroom, but sad to see break ending.

Looks like we're starting off this quarter with gen path, genetics, immunology, pharm, and toxicology. Next quarter looks like it'll be bact/myco, parasitology, virology, antimicrobials, and various labs.

Good luck, my friend. This was my worse quarter by far (for personal reasons mostly). My biggest piece of advice is that immuno sucked and basically had to teach myself. For a lot of those others, see if you can find 605 or 606 quizlets. My class went wild with quizlets that year

 

[SkiOtter]

My biggest piece of advice is that immuno sucked and basically had to teach myself. For a lot of those others, see if you can find 605 or 606 quizlets. My class went wild with quizlets that year

I second this. I def used your classes quizlets 😂

 

[Ptsivik]

Honestly super excited to finally get back to it. Summer has been mind numbing not making the mistake of doing nothing next summer.

 

[katiemcat]

Also, out of curiosity, anyone have a method that they feel worked well for managing a higher energy dog while in school? I had a beautiful 2 year old Black Mouth Cur drop into my lap this summer, and I adopted her officially as of last week. She's been on sedation for heartworm treatment all summer, so I'm not 100% sure what her energy levels will be like, but my Googling as led me to think she may need a lot. Current plans are walking and/or training time at least 1 hour daily, except for exam & work days where she'll go to daycare, plus lots of enrichment & hangout time with me while I study. She also has my roommate's dog to play with, so I'm planning some Sniffspot outings for them every few days. Any other thoughts?

My dogs are always exhausted after daycare so it’s a great idea!

 

[Halocat]

We started this week. Have a great year 2 everyone!

 

[raywildcat]

Second year is.. rough 🥹 hanging in there so far though

 

[SkiOtter]

You all got this!!!!! I believe in you all!!! If I can do it, so can you!

 

[katiemcat]

I’m kind of frustrated with our schools clin skills? Idk if this is common but we don’t really practice on real animals ever…. Today the instructor scheduled us wrong so there wasn’t even enough models for all of us by a lot…. (They increased class size without increasing resources). And then she proceeded to get mad when we practiced bandaging on each other. I feel really badly for the people who came in with little clinical experience, because we do not learn anything there.

 

[battie]

I’m kind of frustrated with our schools clin skills? Idk if this is common but we don’t really practice on real animals ever…. Today the instructor scheduled us wrong so there wasn’t even enough models for all of us by a lot…. (They increased class size without increasing resources). And then she proceeded to get mad when we practiced bandaging on each other. I feel really badly for the people who came in with little clinical experience, because we do not learn anything there.

Depending on where you end up, the beauty is you'll be doing limited clinical skills. I can't tell you when the last time I placed a catheter was, for example. The techs don't trust me 🤣

Should we know these skills? Absolutely. But thankfully they won't make or break out careers. It's absolutely ridiculous that your professor was mad at you however. It's not your fault the school isn't thinking ahead.

 

[katiemcat]

Depending on where you end up, the beauty is you'll be doing limited clinical skills. I can't tell you when the last time I placed a catheter was, for example. The techs don't trust me 🤣

Should we know these skills? Absolutely. But thankfully they won't make or break out careers. It's absolutely ridiculous that your professor was mad at you however. It's not your fault the school isn't thinking ahead.

That’s good to hear! I’m decent as I’m still working when I can teching but definitely not my favorite part of the job! Ya I completely get not practicing like… blood draws on people? But it was bandaging…. And we HAD to practice, it was required and there weren’t enough dog models….

 

[battie]

That’s good to hear! I’m decent as I’m still working when I can teching but definitely not my favorite part of the job! Ya I completely get not practicing like… blood draws on people? But it was bandaging…. And we HAD to practice, it was required and there weren’t enough dog models….

Personally I would've given you a high five

 

[EB73674]

I’m kind of frustrated with our schools clin skills? Idk if this is common but we don’t really practice on real animals ever…. Today the instructor scheduled us wrong so there wasn’t even enough models for all of us by a lot…. (They increased class size without increasing resources). And then she proceeded to get mad when we practiced bandaging on each other. I feel really badly for the people who came in with little clinical experience, because we do not learn anything there.

Hate to say it, but sounds like an instructor who got defensive when they knew something went wrong...

 

[BlackCatsRuleTheWorld]

3 weeks into spring semester and it feels like

 

[FarmGirl2]

3 weeks into spring semester and it feels like


View attachment 381667

I feel like that and it has only been 1 week!

 

[katiemcat]

3 weeks into spring semester and it feels like


View attachment 381667

This semester is. Dragging. Like no other. Maybe it’s because I start clinics this summer and I’m dying to get out of didactics and do something lol.

 

[katiemcat]

This semester is. Dragging. Like no other. Maybe it’s because I start clinics this summer and I’m dying to get out of didactics and do something lol.

Update: I have an exam tomorrow and Wednesday and I have no motivation to get out of bed to study. Help.