Confused about Veterinary school...please help

[BVT]

Hi, I am currently applying to pharmacy school but something inside me keeps saying that I'm making the wrong decision. I love sciences so pharmacy would be OK for me but I absolutely LOVE biology more than chemistry which is why I'm considering going to veterinary school instead. I love animals and it breaks my heart to see them sick which is why I would love to become a vet and help the sick. My question is what do I have to do?

These are the classes I have done so far (at UTPA)
English 1301,1302, 2300
Bio w/lab 1401,1402
Gen Chem w/lab 1301/1101, 1302/1102
Microbiology w/lab 3401
Genetics w/lab 3413
Organic chem w/lab 2302/2102, 2303/2103
Political science 2313, 2314
Speech 1301
Physics 1401
Computer 1301
Econ 2301
History 2313, 2314
Calculus 1460
Stats 2330
Philosophy 2330

I am core complete at my University but what I don't understand is online the school I am thinking of attending (Texas A&M College Station) says that veterinary school is 8 years, 4 undergrad (I'm assuming) and 4 veterinary school. I took 2 years to finish my undergrad prereqs so what I don't understand is what do I do for the next 2 years before I can apply to veterinary school? Do I have to get a bachelors in biology before I can apply?
Also, are they any standardized tests that I need to take before I can apply?
Thank you for your time, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[BearKat17]

Hi! I'll be attending A&M in the fall... so I can kind of help you out with what you need. Be sure to check their website for their pre-requisites. They require 2 semesters of Bio-chemistry and Animal Science, Animal Nutrition, and Feeds & Feeding. You don't need to have a degree, many people don't have one when they enter vet school.. just make sure you meet their pre-requisites. When you apply, A&M goes through TMDSAS, a seperate application site than the VMCAS. As far as standardized tests, they only require the GRE (new one now i think).

Go with your heart and do something you know you'll be happy in the rest of your life. Good luck, let me know if you want to know anything else.

 

[BearKat17]

I guess I should also add, make sure you get animal and veterinary experience, paid or unpaid before you apply.

 

[breenie]

(Don't have time to answer whole question, but here's some info)

You don't HAVE to have a bachelor's to get into vet school. Some schools really prefer it, though.

I decided to apply to the ones that didn't care. I was accepted to 3 schools without a Bachelor's and 3 years of prereqs under my belt. It took me that long to get everything done for vet school, and I was like 9-12 credits away from graduation... so that's why most people do 4 years.

But you can apply as soon as you have completed all of the prereqs at most schools. (Don't apply to UC Davis, they want you to have a Bachelor's, and I'm pretty sure Colorado is a waste of time, too)

 

[Emiloo4]

Looks like you'll need physics too. Each school requires different classes, not a degree, so you need to look at each school's websites to find what pre-reqs you need to fulfill. And yes, you will need to take the GRE, and get veterinary and animal experience.

Oh my bad... you have some physics. Make sure it's enough though.

 

[BVT]

Thank you,
I checked the website and found that Animal Science, Animal Nutrition, and Feeds & Feeding are not offered at my university would I just have to take those classes at Texas A&M as a transfer student?

And congrats in being accepted iv heard its really competitive

 

[BVT]

I guess I should also add, make sure you get animal and veterinary experience, paid or unpaid before you apply.

Is there any kind of certification I would need to get before I can work in a veterinary office? I used to volunteer at a local animal shelter when I was younger but that was too long ago I'm sure that doesn't count anymore lol

 

[equinerider26]

Is there any kind of certification I would need to get before I can work in a veterinary office? I used to volunteer at a local animal shelter when I was younger but that was too long ago I'm sure that doesn't count anymore lol

No, there's no certificate. You just need to either apply to work in clinics, or "apply" to shadow. Some vets are hesitant about letting people shadow, since there's a liability issue, but if you start with just watching and build a repertoire with them, they may eventually let you do some hands-on work, like restraining.

You likely won't be able to find a technician/assistant job, so you'd probably be hired as a kennel assistant. That means hours of cleaning kennels, walking dogs, and sometimes giving medication. Those hours generally don't count as veterinary hours unless you're under direct supervision of a vet. However, you can start working at a kennel and show the technicians/vets that you're interested in medicine by ASKING QUESTIONS, and they might start showing you what they're doing, and explain why they're doing it/what it's for . (This is what I did. I've worked at one small animal clinic for 5 years, and now fill in as a veterinary assistant when I'm home from breaks.)

One thing to keep in mind about hours- you want diversity! Don't just do all of your hours with dogs. Admissions committees want to see that you've explored a great deal of the profession, and are aware of all the options/choices you have once you get your DVM.

Oh, and those hours DO count. If they were just volunteering at a shelter, though, they'll be animal hours, not veterinary hours (unless, of course, you were volunteering with a vet). You just need to know the name of the shelter you volunteered at, your supervisor, and how many hours you spent there.

 

[PetPony]

I think you could count it. You might be questioned why you changed from pharmacy to vet school, so that way you can say you've thought about it before.

In certain states you can work as a vet tech without a license. In some, you need it. But you could also shadow a vet. You don't necessarily have to do paid work to make it count.

 

[BearKat17]

Is there any kind of certification I would need to get before I can work in a veterinary office? I used to volunteer at a local animal shelter when I was younger but that was too long ago I'm sure that doesn't count anymore lol

Not really, I started as a volunteer with hardly any experience where I'm at... then I was hired as an assistant. Call around to your local vet clinics and see if you can shadow them or volunteer.

For the animal science pre-reqs.. some schools offer the courses online and/or "distance classes". I'd talk with Yolanda in admissions.. some classes may be substituted depending on your situation or background. ie: human nutrition in some cases may be substituted for animal nutrition. Check courses offered at your school and check with Yolanda about possible substitutions or online classes.

 

[PetPony]

Look at your school's requirement. Yes, many like diversity, but I think some schools like it when you focus on one thing depending which are you want to go into (large animal, food animal, equine, small animal etc).

 

[zanydogz]

Thank you,
I checked the website and found that Animal Science, Animal Nutrition, and Feeds & Feeding are not offered at my university would I just have to take those classes at Texas A&M as a transfer student?

Hi! I will also be attending A&M in the fall. I was in the same boat you're in where my undergrad institution didn't offer animal science, nutrition, feeds/feeding, or even speech. What I did was take some of these courses at another college back home in the summer. I also took animal science and nutrition online (distance learning at Kansas State) since it was equivalent to what A&M wanted and the best option at the time. So you might be able to take the ones you're missing in the summer or online. Just make sure that the course number and school are "equivalent" to what A&M wants (their website will tell you all this).

Other than that, same as what everyone else said: no you don't need a bachelors, you will need to take the new GRE, and get vet and animal experience.

Hope that helps!

 

[BVT]

Thank you everyone, You were all very helpful

 

[Foxhunter]

TAMU requires animal nutrition or feeds and feeding- not both?

 

[bunnity]

http://www.aavmc.org/Students-Appli...nary-Medical-College-Application-Service.aspx

This is your best starting point for vet school applications in general. You may also want to buy the VMSAR, which is a book that will guide you through the application process. Bear in mind that TAMU has its own application while most of the other schools go through VMCAS.

As far as experience, you will need experience working, volunteering, or shadowing with veterinarians. Each school has slightly different requirements and recommendations, but the hours you need to be competitive are a lot higher than some of the other pre-health professions - plan on at very least, a few hundred. Your application will also have a spot for you to list animal experience, which is anything that didn't involve a vet, like walking dogs at a shelter, riding horses, working on a farm, etc.

You can search this forum for answers to a lot of questions too!

 

[gsi924]

If you do decide that the vet route is best for you and still love pharmacy, there are pharmacology residencies that you maybe interested in, best of both worlds! Maybe find a DVM that is a pharmacology diplomat and see what they do and see if it may interest you

 

[bandierose]

Hey!

I am going to A&M this fall and I am super excited! Just some helpful advice, I got in on my second attempt. On the first attempt Yolanda said the only reason I didn't get in was because of my experience (I had good grades, research, well rounded individual, lots of leadership/club experience, etc..) SO, I think that A&M puts a lot of emphasis on this. If you don't have at least 500-600 vet hours and 500-1000 animal hours I would seriously look at getting that (or more). Best of luck! I hope we get to meet in a few years!

 

[BVT]

TAMU requires animal nutrition or feeds and feeding- not both?

So I don't have to take both classes?

My family owns a ranch and we have about 20 head of cattle, I help my dad with the feeding and sometimes with branding would that count as animal hours? I wasn't planning on counting it since its something I'v been doing since I could walk, I wouldn't even know where to start as far as how many hours it is. Maybe it is something I could mention in an interview?

Also, does Texas A&M have rolling admissions? or any kind of wait-list?

 

[jalyndani]

I also grew up on a cattle ranch and I put down a very rough estimate of those hours as animal experience. It absolutely counts.Think about an average of how much time it takes to feed each day, and then figure out how many hours that would be in a year. Multiply by the number of years you actually contributed to the duties. A one year old toddler can't do much, but I know my daddy had me carrying buckets of feed at age two. Take that into account. Remember you have to look good "on paper" in order to get offered that interview.

A&M does not do rolling admissions; you fill out the TMDSAS application online and submit it before September 30/October 1. There is also a supplemental app online for TAMU. Classes start each fall. They accept roughly 125 and then they have a list of alternates.

As far as feeds/nutrition goes, you'll have to go to the TAMU CVM website and look up the list of required classes. I took both courses as part of my BS in Animal Science, but I don't remember if the vet school required both.

 

[zanydogz]

So I don't have to take both classes?

No, you don't. You just have to take either one. Animal Science is a must and then either Nutrition or Feeds/feeding. You can take both if you want, but otherwise its up to you.

And absolutely count the hours you spent helping your dad with your cattle. Any animal experience you have, whether its volunteering or caring for your own animals will count.

As far as vet experience goes, try volunteering or shadowing first. I started out as one and then was also hired as an assistant and eventually a tech (I don't know if Texas requires one). You probably won't get to do too much as a volunteer, but if you show that you're interested and that you really want to learn they might start letting you do more.

 

[GreyMatter 17]

Pharm was gonna be my back up plan. Looks like I won't need to go that route but I already had a job offer as a veterinary compounding pharmacist. Doesn't sound like such a bad gig but not my dream job either. Follow your heart, and remember that there are lots of options within both fields.