Confused and Distressed

[Ploofafa]

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How?

Sorry for the immediate question, but I really am lost. Currently I am nearing the end of my Senior Year in High School and I am quite certain that I would like to follow the path of becoming a Veterinarian. The problem is that (1.) I have no clue how I will finance any of this, as I come from a rather low-income family; and (2.) I have no clue of how to begin this journey.

*I live in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, just as a point of reference.*

I understand that there is a very strict set of requirements before you can actually even get into Vet. School, and that would be my primary point of distress. How do I find a University that offers the appropriate Bachelor's Degree [in Biology, correct?]

The answer to that question, will lead me to several more questions most likely.

I would like to thank everyone for any and all assistance they may provide.

 

[BlacKAT33]

I'll leave the details for everyone else since i need to head out the door now. But i will get this in quick, no you do not need to be a Biology major. You can be ANY major (even english) and still get into vet school. You just need to make sure you have the right prereq courses (you can look up for each school) but they include the basic sciences

 

[cowgirla]

How?

Sorry for the immediate question, but I really am lost. Currently I am nearing the end of my Senior Year in High School and I am quite certain that I would like to follow the path of becoming a Veterinarian. The problem is that (1.) I have no clue how I will finance any of this, as I come from a rather low-income family; and (2.) I have no clue of how to begin this journey.

*I live in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, just as a point of reference.*

I understand that there is a very strict set of requirements before you can actually even get into Vet. School, and that would be my primary point of distress. How do I find a University that offers the appropriate Bachelor's Degree [in Biology, correct?]

The answer to that question, will lead me to several more questions most likely.

I would like to thank everyone for any and all assistance they may provide.

You don't need to major in biology...you can major in anything you'd like as long as you have the requirements done. You can even start off at a community college, and then transfer to a university just to get the higher level sciences done. Financial aid and loans are the way to go.
If art is your passion, go for an art major. It really does not matter, as long as you get certain courses done.

Also, now's a good time to start getting your vet experience, either shadowing a vet, volunteering, getting a job in a kennel, at a shelter, etc.

 

[Minnerbelle]

How?

Sorry for the immediate question, but I really am lost. Currently I am nearing the end of my Senior Year in High School and I am quite certain that I would like to follow the path of becoming a Veterinarian. The problem is that (1.) I have no clue how I will finance any of this, as I come from a rather low-income family; and (2.) I have no clue of how to begin this journey.

*I live in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, just as a point of reference.*

I understand that there is a very strict set of requirements before you can actually even get into Vet. School, and that would be my primary point of distress. How do I find a University that offers the appropriate Bachelor's Degree [in Biology, correct?]

The answer to that question, will lead me to several more questions most likely.

I would like to thank everyone for any and all assistance they may provide.

Getting into vet school and financing it takes a lot of work, but there's no one rigid way to get there.

First of all, concentrate on doing solid undergraduate work. If money is an issue, you can always start some of your courses (some intro science courses as well as humanities courses) at a community college, then spend the last couple of years doing your upper level science courses at a 4-year university. If you can get a very high GPA, then you're golden. If not... that's when you have to try and shine in every other way possible.

You'll have to take your GRE's and do well, but that's not something worth studying for years in advance so don't worry about it for now.

No need to pick a biology major. Just major in whatever you feel like, whatever you're passionate about. If anything, doing something really weird will make you stand out. Just make sure that you get all your pre-reqs done.

Start working/volunteering/shadowing for veterinarians in different fields. Getting lots of large animal experience will really make you shine! Remember, you'll need to get really good recommendation letters from them at some point, and keep in mind that many successful students have thousands of hours of animal/vet experience.

As for financing your vet school education, for most if not all schools (at least that i applied to) they guarantee that you will be able to get enough loans to cover your cost of attendance (tuition + living costs). It just means that even if you start out with absolutely NO money, you can at least get it through loans. whether you think it's worth it to go $200-300K in debt to become a veterinarian or not is completely up to you.

👍 for starting to think about this stuff so early!

 

[sofficat]

Welcome to the forums!

Ok, so you have a while to go before you have to worry about vet school. Four years, actually, unless you apply early, then 3 years.

You can go to any college... you can even start off at a community college if money is an issue. I got to go to a community college for free for a year because of a music scholarship and I got a lot of my vet school pre-reqs done.
Also, you don't HAVE to get a bachelors degree. Really, you don't even have to get a degree or even major in science/bio, all you have to do is complete all of the prerequisites for vet school (some schools vary, but the majority is the same). In saying that, I will tell you that a major in biology would cover most of the pre-reqs for vet school. I have a few classmates that were art majors or finance majors and took their pre-reqs as electives, then got into vet school.

You'll pay for school the way most others do- student loans. I was lucky enough to get a few scholarships for my undergrad and because I worked 30 hrs a week as well I was able to pay for everything else and didn't go into debt... until vet school 😉. Then I applied for loans and am $85 k in the hole.... but only one more year! And my husband has some loans for school, so you won't be alone by going into debt.

And another important thing- you need to start volunteering/get a job at a vet clinic. That is a big part of preparing for vet school and you'll need quite a few hours of experience when you do apply to vet school in 4 years, so you might as well start now.

I hope that helps! Let us know if you have more questions or concerns.

 

[ORvetgirl]

while biology is a convenient major, as many of the courses required for the major are also prerequisites for vet school, you can major in whatever you want. in fact, you don't even have to have a bachelor's prior to applying...you just have to have completed all the prerequisites for the vet schools you are applying to (which are school specific, and definitely not all the same). so, if you want to major in anthropology, you can; just get all the prereqs also.

that being said, you can go to any university, or college, that you want. i went to a small, women's liberal arts college and majored in biochem, but many of my classmates went to large universities.

lastly, addressing the financial issues: most vet students finance all their vet school costs via loans, unless they are independently wealthy, or are coming from a previous career...most of us expect to come out of school with over $100,000 worth of loans to pay off.

 

[sofficat]

haha minnerbelle- i posted a minute after you and it was practically identical to your advice!! at least we are all on the same page with things 🙂

 

[clairbear]

Don't worry too much about the finances right now. Most people have to borrow the majority of the money they use to pay for vet school. I would reccommend trying to minimize your undergrad debt though, and go to a good school, but an affordable school. You might get a lot more grants and the like then you think you will, I know I did. Go to a school where you know you will be happy.

Most vet schools don't care about your major. They just want to have you complete your pre-reqs and show that you can succeed in science classes. A biology major does fufill a lot of the pre-reqs, but choose something you enjoy.

Just focus on giving the best grades you can with whatever school and major you choose. Also, try to get experiences with as many different types of animals as you can particularly in a veterinary setting. A lot of the vet schools have on their websites what their specific minimum requirements for grades and such.

 

[moosenanny]

I think everyone's advice so far has been great!

As a way to (hopefully!) decrease your distress level, I would narrow your focus with regard to what requirements you'll need. I would start with UPenn and look up their course requirements online. Make a list of those classes. Then look up other vet schools you've heard of/are interested in. See how much the UPenn list of classes overlaps with other schools'. If the classes are similar, with only one or two additions that you'd be willing to take, add those classes and schools to your list.

Once you have a list of classes, concentrate on the schools that list fulfills. See what those schools require as far as hours of experience, letters of recommendation, average GPA/GRE, etc.

Then you'll have a more definitive plan of action: you'll know which classes to take, and what goals to set for yourself for GPA/GRE/volunteer hours/etc.

Hope this somewhat helps! 🙂

 

[lunajett]

My first advice is to don't consider yourself "confused and distressed." You are far too young to be feeling stressed about this already. As someone who is getting into vetmed way way way later age-wise than you, believe me, you have plenty of time to find the info you need and make a plan for yourself. Don't get all strssed now, there is plenty of time for that later!

Second, I know you feel overwhelmed and want some quick answers and people here are great at providing them, but don't just ask "how" and expect people to download everything you need into your brain. Take time to poke around here, read through lots of threads. You've got to do a lot of research on your own. It will take lots of time, but the more you read, the more things will make sense to you and the better questions you'll be able to ask later. I don't want that to sound harsh or deter you from questions, but part of being a vet is the maturity to tackle and research a problem, to do the necessary legwork to find answers you need.

As a start, I highly recommend this going to this site http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/studentprograms/default.html and downloading the "Guide for Prospective Students." It's really geared for people in your position, just starting to research becoming a vet and tells you much of what you will need to know, at least at this early point. Most schools probably have similar info on their websites. Also check out http://www.aavmc.org/ - again, great info for people starting the journey, as well as info on the specific schools.

Good luck, I think you'll have a lot of good answers pretty quick.

 

[variegata]

Most 4-year universities should offer most of the classes you need to apply. A biology major is very convenient (knock out those prerequisites AND finish your major), but as everyone said, if your passion is dance or economics, you can do those majors too, you'll just have more classes to take.

If money is a worry, apply for scholarships, turn in your FAFSA and considering taking your lower-division courses at a community college and then transfer to a 4 year school to take care of the upper-division classes. That way, you only have to spend 2 (or so) years at the more-expensive university.

There's really no need to be in any kind of distress over vet school now. Just focus on applying to colleges (if you haven't already) and getting good grades in high school to get you into a good college for undergrad. By all means, direct your college search towards schools that offer the basic courses needed for vet school (biology, general and organic chemistry, physics, biochemistry) but that really shouldn't limit your choices too much. Here's a site with PDF files of school requirements: http://www.aavmc.org/vmcas/college_requirement.htm

 

[cooniexp]

Everyone's been giving such good advice.. wish I had knew about SDN when I was in high school!

I think one of the most important things is going out there and getting the experience through volunteering/working at a clinic/shelter/rehab, etc to see if you really enjoy the field. For some people what they picture veterinary medicine as and what they actually experience is completely different.

Good luck!

 

[Ben and Me]

Here are the requirements for admission to Penn.

http://www.vet.upenn.edu/EducationandTraining/StudentAdmissions/Requirements/tabid/298/Default.aspx

Penn doesn't have as many pre-requisites as other schools, just as an FYI. Most other schools require biochemistry (although I'd say 99% of the folks in my class had taken biochem) and many also require a smattering of microbiology, animal nutrition, physiology, etc. The requirements really can vary a lot from school to school. You won't be able to take a lot of those classes until you get your basic sciences out of the way, though, so you have some time to narrow your focus to a few schools.

The unfortunate thing about Penn being your in-state is that in-state tuition isn't much cheaper than out of state. But, about 1/2 of our class is from PA (with fewer applicants than the out of state pool) so that does mean that your chances for admission are better! If you do want to attend Penn, you'll probably need to graduate from college - there is only 1 kid in my class (who I think) didn't graduate, but he is in the combined VMD/PhD program so is probably a genius. 😛

Where have you applied to college? Many of the smaller liberal arts colleges (of which PA has a lot!) are able to offer decent financial aid packages with a lot of scholarship and grant money. UPenn has recently made a commitment (along with many of the other ivys) to try and ensure that their undergrads only get grants, no loans, so they can graduate nearly or entirely debt free.

If you haven't applied yet, community college is also an option for a year or 2, although I'd recommend trying to get into a good 4 year program after that since Penn Vet does take into account the rigor of your undergrad program. We have a lot of kids from Penn State and University of Delaware in my class, along with a wide variety of smaller colleges (Haverford, Swarthmore) and some mid-sized colleges as well (Carnegie Mellon). There are also kids from colleges all over the US, so if you get a good financial aid package out of state, go for it ! 👍

 

[Minnerbelle]

Where have you applied to college? Many of the smaller liberal arts colleges (of which PA has a lot!) are able to offer decent financial aid packages with a lot of scholarship and grant money. UPenn has recently made a commitment (along with many of the other ivys) to try and ensure that their undergrads only get grants, no loans, so they can graduate nearly or entirely debt free.

in case you were thinking about taking a year off before college, doing a couple of community college first, transferring, or can whip up an application by jan 15th, my undergrad has a need-blind financial aid policy so if accepted the school will give you all the financial aid that your family needs. and it's called "need-blind" because they won't even look at your financial info until AFTER they made their admission decisions. they tend to be very generous with their aid (and they don't charge you an application fee). one caveat is that you have to be a woman (or transgender) to graduate from there! PM me if you'd like more info.

 

[sumstorm]

in case you were thinking about taking a year off before college, doing a couple of community college first, transferring, or can whip up an application by jan 15th, my undergrad has a need-blind financial aid policy so if accepted the school will give you all the financial aid that your family needs. and it's called "need-blind" because they won't even look at your financial info until AFTER they made their admission decisions. they tend to be very generous with their aid (and they don't charge you an application fee). one caveat is that you have to be a woman (or transgender) to graduate from there! PM me if you'd like more info.

Like Minnerbelle pointed out, I also attended schools that were need blind. I do not know where/if you have applied (been a long time since I did undergrad aps) but for me, it as cheaper to attend an out of state private school than the cheapest in state public because they gave me alot of scholarships. So shop around for undergrad. Also, do NOT hesitate to call and ask for application fee waivers for undergrad (every school I asked waived, many without question, others with a basic form.)

 

[bunnity]

Since others have talked about the academic side and given good advice, I want to emphasize that it is really important for you to start getting experience in the field - for the sake of your application but more importantly for you to ensure that this is the right field for you before you spend a lot of time and money pursuing it. Start looking for job and shadowing opportunities now - Philadelphia and its suburbs have a lot of amazing clinics and shelters, and I think you will be able to find some good opportunities. If you have a car I highly recommend Radnor Vet if they will let you shadow or work there - I take my fosters there and it is a great practice and they see a good variety of species.

Back to academics, I do have to disagree with the consensus on SDN which is to major in whatever the heck you want and that it will not affect you in vet school. As a non-science major, I did feel behind in vet school without biochemistry, cell bio, developmental bio, etc. If you have the interest, by all means major in bio or animal science.

As far as finances, I think your goal right now should be to get through undergrad with little to no debt. Look very carefully into how much schools cost and the financial aid you can get before making a decision. There is no need to spend tons of money on undergrad - PA has a lot of good state schools like PSU, and state related schools like Temple and Pitt. It can be overwhelming the first time you do the FAFSA and try to figure out financial aid, but enlist help - it is so worth it in the long run. I made it through undergrad debt free (cheap school, lots of work, parental contributions, first year at a no-name even cheaper school) and I will forever be glad of it.

Since you are looking at universities I have to throw in a shameless plug for Pitt. I loved it and had great advising, professors, classes, and just general environment. It is a wonderful school in a beautiful city. Pittsburgh has a bunch of other good universities that would be worth a visit to the city to look at. I also really liked Westminster (didn't end up going there though) which is north of Pittsburgh and has a lot of financial aid. And while I have issues with Penn grad schools that I won't go into, I have heard a lot of good things about Penn undergrad. They also started a program where you get free tuition if your family makes under 90k a year - makes us professional students jealous but great for the undergrads.

 

[Ploofafa]

I apologize for the late response to such fantastic advice, but I am just trying to take all this in.

At the time of my original post, it was already to late apply, as I have yet to take the SATs...meaning...I cannot start in Fall of 2010, correct? Be that as it may, should I then take this opportunity as a "Gap Year" and volunteer at local Clinics / Shelters / Kennels to obtain some experience?

Unless, community college? I was looking at Northampton... http://www.northampton.edu/Academics/Course-Descriptions.htm?letter=B

 

[chii chan]

What I did and I highly recommend is to major in Animal Science! Almost every class I needed to take to graduate from my undergraduate university lined up the same classes required by most colleges to get into vet school, so there was less to think about. I worked at a couple different small animal vet hospitals, and the Animal Science major gave me tons of experience with farm animal, equine, poultry, and some zoo!

However, I'm from CA and not sure what opportunities are available in Penn. I don't come from a rich family either, and was supported by student loans for my entire undergraduate career. Now we're about to add vet school loans on top of that starting fall! At the Ohio interview/tour day they said that 99% of students in vet school are on loans to some extent. If you know it's what you want to do, money/cost shouldn't be an issue.

As for prereqs, everyone else did a great job of covering the basics! Check the AAVMC website that gives you a list of all the AVMA accredited schools. Keep in mind, you can go international for the same or cheaper cost than going OOS! Plus you'll have a wonderful life changing experience. Once you're in that much debt, I doubt you'd travel anytime soon after. Just a thought! And the international schools require less classes than any schools in the states I'm aware of.

 

[ginger17317]

I am actually a Psychology major... I took a number of other classes before really getting into my science - and I don't regret a class I've taken! While it may be more work, if you are truly interested in a number of things, I would highly suggest trying out different majors. The vet requirements can be finished in 3 years or less (depending on whether you take summer terms or how motivated you are) if you want!

I would advise you now to get on Fastweb and search for all of the scholarships you can - you should really get on it b/c after you graduate high school they seem to be much harder to get. My scholarships have helped me get through undergrad (thank goodness, without debt) but for vet school, I know it will be a different story :/

One thing I've forgotten to do through my undergrad is to relax, and enjoy it... So remember to enjoy it!

 

[Robdude]

Just my .02 cents but....

I think you get the most bang for you buck at local community colleges. You can get an associates there in two years and transfer to a four year University - saving a metric asston of money. If you plan ahead and check out the course equivalencies in advance and know what the graduation requirements are for your major at the four year university you intend to transfer to - you can still be graduated in four years.

You also have the added benefit of getting all of your gen ed. stuff done at the community college. When you become a transfer student at the University (at least at all of the Univ I've heard of) your credits transfer - but your GPA doesn't. That means if you buckle down for two years and get a 4.0 - you end up with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 - even if you had a few Cs and Bs your first two years.

Most people going into to college don't know what they want to do - so you've got a huge leg up. Getting into Vet School is hard; but knowing you've got four years to get ready for your first application and all will really help you. I'd totally recommend volunteering or working part-time over the summers and getting experience with different types of animals. You can also look at the Vet Schools you think you'd want to attend and make sure you cover all of the classes they require and maybe pile on some higher level sciences stuff.

As far as money goes - don't worry about it. Lower income means you'll qualify for more favorable interest rates on your loans (subsidized vs. non subsidized) and you might qualify for some grants and stuff. Getting money for school is a lot easier than people think - just remember you'll have to repay it eventually, so don't get carried away.

 

[deleted266066]

You also have the added benefit of getting all of your gen ed. stuff done at the community college. When you become a transfer student at the University (at least at all of the Univ I've heard of) your credits transfer - but your GPA doesn't. That means if you buckle down for two years and get a 4.0 - you end up with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 - even if you had a few Cs and Bs your first two years.

This is only kind of true. While your GPA won't transfer to that individual school's GPA, it will still be included in your overall cumulative GPA, which is necessary for vet school. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is the way it works everywhere for post-secondary education.

 

[Ploofafa]

My biggest worry is still that of the financial aspect. Is it possible to go throughout the majority of your schooling without paying a single cent? It sounds to me like you would not have much time for work, with volunteering taking up the remainder of what time you may have left.