Confused, Overwhelmed and Tired

[SwimCycleRun]

Hi all, I wasn't sure what to title this post or where best to place it so I apologize if you think it is out of place. I am looking for insight preferably from non-traditional students or graduates out there. I say non-traditional because there is a sense of exhaustion and loneliness that one often feels later in life that just isn't there when you are 22 years old. I mean no offense to those traditional students reading this post.

I'm 31, I'll be 32 by the time I start vet school in the fall...and I feel nothing but exhaustion. I would think I should be at least a bit excited about the prospect of attending school and/or the career that will follow. I am leaving a career I do not enjoy (I have a graduate degree and could have a very successful career utilizing it if I chose to continue on my current path) and I have always had in the back of my head that I would go to vet school. I'm not remotely jaded about school or the profession; I have worked every role in multiple veterinary hospitals with the exception of the doctor. Currently I manage a six doctor seven day a week practice. My eyes are wide open; I know what I am going into.

I guess my question is did anyone go into school not feeling excited, but rather just tired? I am tired of life right now, some days I really wonder how many more years I can feel this way. I'm tired and alone and the prospect of remaining tired and alone throughout school is daunting. I have battled clinical depression most of my life, so there is no doubt that plays a role in how I currently feel. And, frankly, I have dealt with some pretty awful life events in the past decade. Don't misunderstand, I have so much for which to be grateful; I recognize and acknowledge those things, but I'm human and the past ten years have been really hard...Of course not going to vet school or pursuing some other doctoral degree is not going to change the above, so the logical part of me says just go to vet school as I already feel exhausted, sad, overwhelmed, and alone. Might as well keep on trucking and chip away at improving myself.

Anyone have similar thoughts or feelings?

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[PippyPony]

I would strongly recommend deferring and seeking help for your depression prior to starting school.

As a non-trad student who is only a couple years older than you, I can say that vet school itself can dole out some heavy beatings, even for those who are not depressed and are excited and rested prior to matriculation.

Entering vet school with an uncontrolled/poorly controlled mental health situation is an uphill battle I personally would not want to face. There is little to no time to address those types of things while in school, and I've seen people who are (or were) not clinically depressed struggle through experiencing serious depressive episodes.

I'd ask your school if you can defer -- one more year isn't going to make or break things in terms of age (again, I'm older than you and there are people in my class older than me -- you won't be alone, and it won't be too late!), and if you can start off on the right foot, that would probably be better in terms of your long term health and success.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[LuckySpartan]

I am so sorry you are feeling alone and exhausted. I can tell you that you are not alone, you have our support on SDN and I am sure there are people in your life who care for you greatly. Reaching out was brave and I commend you for that. I am also 31, I will be 32 in July, and can definitely acknowledge the emotional challenges of starting veterinary school later in life. With that being said, I believe taking control of your mental health and getting to a good place is essential not only to your success in veterinary school but also your enjoyment of this great accomplishment! You have worked hard to earn this acceptance and you deserve for it to be an awesome experience!

Wishing you the best of luck!

 

[EngrSC]

A friend of mine started vet school in her 30s when she had mild/moderate depression and by the end of the 2nd week she was overwhelmed and fell into a serious depressive state. She was able to defer a year while she saw a psychiatrist and worked out her meds and when she started the following year she was in such a better place mentally. She’s finishing her 2nd year now and I have never heard her say she regrets deferring.

I’m 30, non-trad, and getting really close to applying. I obviously haven’t experienced vet school yet but I will say sometimes it’s hard being an older student. I have a husband, a household to manage, and a career I’m trying to stick with until I *hopefully* get into vet school. I occasionally have these moments of ****, am I really doing this? I can and do make a good living doing what I do. But I think the benefit to staying in this career as long as I have is there are many many many days that remind me of how much I need a change. I just can’t do this the rest of my life and that helps light a fire under my a$$ when I don’t feel like studying. I also have moments where I’m reminded of how far I have to go still and it can make me feel a little frightened so I do my best to take it one day at a time. But my feelings have always been fleeting.

I think a healthy amount of fear/anxiety is normal but it would concern me if it lingered around for a period of time like what you describe. I think it would only benefit you to see a therapist and try to work through these feelings. You’ve got a good amount of time between now and when you start school and as the starting day gets closer you can look into deferment if you’re still not feeling strong.

 

[WardenN7]

I'm technically traditional (currently almost 25 and a 2nd-year student), so I know I'm not your target demographic for this post, but I'm replying to this as someone who has battled/anxiety depression for about a decade. Vet school is really, really hard on your mental health. I was extremely well-managed when I started school, but just the intensity of these last two years (and the crushing, unending mental and physical exhaustion) have pushed me to low places more than a few times. I think looking into deferring for a year and getting your mental health managed in the meantime is worth consideration.

Best of luck with everything.

 

[kaydubs]

I’m not the party that you may be looking for, but I am in the relatively new graduate category with a long history of depression and anxiety (coupled with some chronic health issues).

As others have posted, I would strongly encourage you to defer a year if you need and take advantage of getting your mental health into some order. As you know, your clinical depression will always be present and it’s important that you take care of yourself, whether a pre vet, vet student, or veterinarian. Our profession is a long haul and, as a person who wasn’t excited and actually was dreading starting because I was so emotionally and mentally exhausted, I understand. I took a year and I felt in a better state of mind to start vet school after deferring.

A cautionary tale: I still very much struggle with depression and it may have gotten worse with being a veterinarian. I could say it’s my current job or whatnot, but I do not know if that is wholly true. I believe that, in this life, we can only do our best. Whatever you choose, I hope you find happiness and peace there.

 

[SwimCycleRun]

@PippyPony @LuckySpartan @EngrSC @WardenN7 @kaydubs Thank you all for you kind and thoughtful responses. Sometimes I think that we all have crosses to bear in life and this is one of mine. As you stated @kaydubs my clinical depression will always be a battle in my life. This is a part with which I struggle; if it's always going to be a battle even if I have it under control when entering school it will likely crop back up during school and beyond at multiple points. Sigh. You all have given me a lot to mull over. Thank you.

 

[hygebeorht]

I also went through vet school as a non-trad, and while it sucked very badly at times, I had a good partner and friends for support, which made all the difference. It can be overwhelming, but working toward a goal, I felt like I had purpose.

My school had an on-site counselor and social worker. You should check out what resources are available at your school as you think over your next move.

 

[SwimCycleRun]

I also went through vet school as a non-trad, and while it sucked very badly at times, I had a good partner and friends for support, which made all the difference. It can be overwhelming, but working toward a goal, I felt like I had purpose.

My school had an on-site counselor and social worker. You should check out what resources are available at your school as you think over your next move.

Thank you @hygebeorht for the reply. I think one difficult thing is that I don't have much of a support network. I wish that weren't the case, but it's my reality.
If I decide to move forward I will definitely pursue the counseling resources at the school.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

@SwimCycleRun I think you might be in my neck of the woods this fall if you choose to go. If you want to hang out and grab a beer or coffee with a lovably grumpy introvert 30 something vettie or two, lemme know. My SO and I can def. oblige. I went through a wringer of shyte in vet school and have also dealt with many mental health issues during that time, so I know the feels. Feel free to PM me as well if you need or want as well.

 

[SwimCycleRun]

Thank you @WhtsThFrequency, that is a very kind offer and I might take you up on it.

 

[that redhead]

Of course not going to vet school or pursuing some other doctoral degree is not going to change the above, so the logical part of me says just go to vet school as I already feel exhausted, sad, overwhelmed, and alone. Might as well keep on trucking and chip away at improving myself.

I mean this kindly, but going to vet school or pursuing some other equally rigorous education may not change the above in a positive way, but it may absolutely change it in a negative way. Committing to another four years of information flooding, grueling schedules, tough/emotional cases, difficult personalities and little time to interact with family/friends/SO/etc is NOT a good idea if you're already feeling tapped out. And it isn't just those four years, it's setting yourself up for a lifetime. On the other side of graduation is a career in which we are known for our suicide rate and compassion fatigue. Long hours, ignorant/difficult/rude/nasty owners or owners simply without the financial resources to help their pet, underappreciation for what we do, a ridiculous financial burden with comparatively little take-home pay...it's enough to drag down even those without depression or the like. I'm not saying "don't be a vet" but I am saying do everything possible to get your depression under control BEFORE throwing yourself into a very difficult profession.

 

[Lab Vet]

Hi OP. I was 34 when I started vet school and will be 39 when I graduate next month. You can certainly be successful in vet school (and more importantly, as a practicing veterinarian) in later life, but the decision to start in your 30s comes with its own subset of challenges. My age factors into every decision I make about career- with respect to salary (and projected ability to pay down the debt), potential for injury (if I'm kicked and severely injured by a horse at 45, my earning potential may be irreparably damaged with comparatively little of the debt paid down), fatigue with the ordeal of uprooting my life and relocating for the sake of the job, repeatedly (already done this myself 5 times), and desire/ability to enjoy my life outside of work. Many of these issues aren't unique to older students. I'd argue, however, that their effects/importance are exacerbated in later life- they take on greater weight. I was far more willing to sacrifice for the sake of the job at 25 than I am at 40, especially given the fact that I sacrificed significantly between 25 and 40 as well. The effects are cumulative. I, personally, do not have infinite staying power. I've got loads of grit, and ability to 'suck things up,' but the font doesn't spring eternal. Every person is unique. The key is deciding when the level of sacrifice outweighs the reward- this is easier said than done, especially with multiple factors at play (and significant time/money invested). I struggled in veterinary school. Initially, I attribute that to having been away from the traditional classroom for about a decade before returning for my first year. I re-acclimated in short order, but had to work incredibly hard to do well throughout the remainder of vet school (this came at the expense of tending to other aspects of my life). It's relatively easy to endure a hardship for a temporary period of known duration. It's much harder to keep sacrificing for unknown periods of time- especially without a clear guarantee that you'll end up where you want. Some of my classmates loved veterinary school. I was not one of those folks. There were aspects of vet school that I enjoyed, but generally I found it to be very hard. Succeeding in vet school occupied a large percentage of my time/energy budget. Unfortunately for me, vet school did not have the fairy tale ending that I expected it would (given the time and money invested), and I'm currently in the midst of some very difficult career decisions. It's not fun to be in this position. That being said, I'm glad I went to vet school. I'd likely do it again, even knowing how things turned out at this stage. I learned a lot, and met some wonderful people, but I'm unclear how things will work out for me in the end. My goal isn't to discourage you, just to think long and hard about the decision to enroll.

 

[ChoopLoops]

Hi OP. I was 34 when I started vet school and will be 39 when I graduate next month. You can certainly be successful in vet school (and more importantly, as a practicing veterinarian) in later life, but the decision to start in your 30s comes with its own subset of challenges. My age factors into every decision I make about career- with respect to salary (and projected ability to pay down the debt), potential for injury (if I'm kicked and severely injured by a horse at 45, my earning potential may be irreparably damaged with comparatively little of the debt paid down), fatigue with the ordeal of uprooting my life and relocating for the sake of the job, repeatedly (already done this myself 5 times), and desire/ability to enjoy my life outside of work. Many of these issues aren't unique to older students. I'd argue, however, that their effects/importance are exacerbated in later life- they take on greater weight. I was far more willing to sacrifice for the sake of the job at 25 than I am at 40, especially given the fact that I sacrificed significantly between 25 and 40 as well. The effects are cumulative. I, personally, do not have infinite staying power. I've got loads of grit, and ability to 'suck things up,' but the font doesn't spring eternal. Every person is unique. The key is deciding when the level of sacrifice outweighs the reward- this is easier said than done, especially with multiple factors at play (and significant time/money invested). I struggled in veterinary school. Initially, I attribute that to having been away from the traditional classroom for about a decade before returning for my first year. I re-acclimated in short order, but had to work incredibly hard to do well throughout the remainder of vet school (this came at the expense of tending to other aspects of my life). It's relatively easy to endure a hardship for a temporary period of known duration. It's much harder to keep sacrificing for unknown periods of time- especially without a clear guarantee that you'll end up where you want. Some of my classmates loved veterinary school. I was not one of those folks. There were aspects of vet school that I enjoyed, but generally I found it to be very hard. Succeeding in vet school occupied a large percentage of my time/energy budget. Unfortunately for me, vet school did not have the fairy tale ending that I expected it would (given the time and money invested), and I'm currently in the midst of some very difficult career decisions. It's not fun to be in this position. That being said, I'm glad I went to vet school. I'd likely do it again, even knowing how things turned out at this stage. I learned a lot, and met some wonderful people, but I'm unclear how things will work out for me in the end. My goal isn't to discourage you, just to think long and hard about the decision to enroll.

@Lab Vet , what is going on with you? You gave me such a cool explanation of what lab medicine is and all the stuff you've gotten to do in residency, are you thinking on not continuing in that direction?

 

[Squeaksmom]

Late to the party... I'm a second year in my 40's, and this year more than first year is kicking my tail! We are told that third year is better. For my part, I have a very clear vision of where I want to end up, and I spent some time today chatting with a couple of our wonderful profs to better clarify the path to get me from here to there. I know what I need to do, and I'm confident that I can, but it's hard. It's really hard. I question my decision to put myself through this fairly often, but I keep coming back for more. I remind myself at those times that vet *school* was never the end goal... it's a step in the process... but it's a sucky step sometimes!

In your position, I'd see if I could defer to get the mental health aspect better managed. Vet school will still be there, and it's not worth your health!

 

[meningealworm]

OP, I haven't struggled with depression, so I can't speak to what you're going through on that front. But I am a non-traditional student, so I can offer what that experience has been like for myself.

I left an unfulfilling job and relationship to come to vet school, and it was undoubtedly the best decision I've ever made for myself. I've found the entire process invigorating, not draining. It hasn't always been easy, but I've made incredible supportive friends during our time here, and have never felt alone. I think that coming back to school as a non-trad actually made me a better student, because I'm much more focused and better at time management than I was 10 years ago. I've thrived in this environment, and I'll be graduating next month feeling very positive about my experience. I'm heading into an internship that will set me up for the career I've always wanted.

I know that everyone's experience is unique. Just wanted to throw mine out there as a positive one.

 

[VetRunner6044]

I would recommend what others have on this forum and seek more stabilization with depression prior to matriculating. Vet School isn't as hard as some make it out to be, but I also believe that this is a product of their undergraduate environment, and what that experience was like. The real struggle with Vet Med is starting at 55-75k (depending on location), with massive amounts of debt and the mind-numbing days of 18 vaccine appointments. Stress will be a part of life and suicide is a real issue in this field. Mental health must be the priority, and everything is tertiary.

If you can defer, I would recommend it. Vet school may not be right for you, and it may be another path that is your calling. Vet med may be the right path for you, but just not this year.

I wish you the best of luck on this journey and I will pray for you!
Congrats on getting in to vet school, that is an amazing accomplishment on its own! Whether its Vet Med this year, next, or never; your future is bright and you will find what you love to do and will be excited about it!

 

[Lab Vet]

@Lab Vet , what is going on with you? You gave me such a cool explanation of what lab medicine is and all the stuff you've gotten to do in residency, are you thinking on not continuing in that direction?

What's going on with me- a lot. First, I'm not a resident; I'm a senior student graduating in May. Secondly, I wasn't offered my dream training program as other people were, despite having applied in the match, to non-match programs, as well as in the scramble. Third, I specifically returned to vet school in later life to secure a specific career. It wasn't 'for fun'- it was a tactical, carefully considered decision. Now, I'm having to alter those plans, and that involves a significant paradigm shift. That, and I still need to give 100% on the clinic floor. I'm one of the people that didn't have a fantastic experience in vet school. It was a very hard slog, that hasn't paid off in the way I expected it to. Those wounds are still quite raw, so my apologies for coming off prickly. The community of veterinary practitioners wonders why there is such a problem with depression and suicide. Part of the reason for that is members of the profession feeling shamed for struggling, or having a hard time, or admitting that the career wasn't what they expected, or that things didn't work out the way they hoped that it would. For many of your colleagues, this is real life. It certainly is for me. I'm glad, OP, that you're hearing a variety of opinions on this board. I don't begrudge folks that are off to their dream career, or had a wonderful experience in vet school. I do, however, caution those of you first entering the process not to judge those who are in a position similar to myself. Degree of struggle in veterinary school is hardly correlated to preparation, or effort for that matter. I invested every fiber of my being into my veterinary career, and it still didn't turn out the way I wanted. The only saving grace in all of this are the people internal (faculty, staff, friends) and external (friends, family) to school who've supported me through the disappointment (there are many- the sole reason I'm able to get up and put one foot in front of the other each morning), and the belief that things will ultimately work out in the end. It's difficult to sustain that type of positivity in the face of repeated rejection. As for the comment below that veterinary school isn't as hard as some make it out to be, that's a matter of personal opinion. I thought veterinary school was damn hard, and that reality had nothing to do with my undergraduate education, graduate education, or full-time work experience completed beforehand. Veterinary school is a 360 degree experience. It's not just classes and clinics. Some people struggle more than others. This doesn't make them 'lesser' practitioners of veterinary medicine. A word of advice for those of you entering vet school, or still in process. Have compassion for classmates of yours who are struggling- in any phase of the program. One day, in some form or another, that will be you- whether it's on the job, later in school, in a relationship, etc. You can never know the depths of private struggle a person is facing- even your closest friends. The Golden Rule always applies- give people the benefit of the doubt. Treat others the way you would want to be treated.

 

[ChoopLoops]

@Lab Vet dangit, I know you were part of that lab med conversation but I was definitely mixing you up, probably with kcoughli? sorry about that 🙁 It really sucks to hear that you're struggling!

 

[WildZoo]

I would recommend what others have on this forum and seek more stabilization with depression prior to matriculating. Vet School isn't as hard as some make it out to be, but I also believe that this is a product of their undergraduate environment, and what that experience was like. The real struggle with Vet Med is starting at 55-75k (depending on location), with massive amounts of debt and the mind-numbing days of 18 vaccine appointments. Stress will be a part of life and suicide is a real issue in this field. Mental health must be the priority, and everything is tertiary.

If you can defer, I would recommend it. Vet school may not be right for you, and it may be another path that is your calling. Vet med may be the right path for you, but just not this year.

I wish you the best of luck on this journey and I will pray for you!
Congrats on getting in to vet school, that is an amazing accomplishment on its own! Whether its Vet Med this year, next, or never; your future is bright and you will find what you love to do and will be excited about it!

You may want to take a step back and consider the things you post before you post them. Statements like the one I bolded above? Maybe it isn't for you. But some people really struggle, and that is ok. Actually one of the big struggles of vet school for a lot of people is the transition from being such a high achieving student to being in a program that is an order of magnitude more difficult, in most cases not because of the level of the content, but because of the massive quantity. I don't know exactly what you're implying about "undergrad environment," but there are plenty of students who did rigorous undergraduate programs and still find vet school difficult. I'll leave practicing veterinarians to comment on what the "real struggle" of vet med is, though I have a feeling they would say there are several, and these are complex, and vaccine appointments are perhaps the least of their concerns.

Overall I agree with the spirit of what you said here. Just wanted to draw your attention to some things that you might want to think about.

 

[WildZoo]

Sorry to hear, @Lab Vet. I appreciate you posting here anyway and telling us about your experience. I hope things start looking up and work out for you <3

 

[LyraGardenia]

Vet School isn't as hard as some make it out to be, but I also believe that this is a product of their undergraduate environment, and what that experience was like.

You said in the other thread that you're a first year, right? That's great that you're doing well so far, and hopefully that continues, but I would be cautious expressing opinions like this around your classmates and upperclassmen. There are all sorts of reasons people struggle in vet school, it's not as simple as undergrad didn't prepare them well enough. Also at most schools second year is considered the hardest, although I've heard fourth year can also be pretty brutal both physically and mentally. For me personally, first year seemed hard at the time, but I would love to go back to that schedule and amount of courses (not so much those specific courses though, I will say second year material is more interesting). This semester has been brutal, I feel like I'm treading water and never get a chance to catch my breath.

 

[kaydubs]

@Lab Vet - hugs. If I can help in any way (even for venting), please let me know.

 

[master-dissertations]

going to vet school or pursuing some other doctoral degree is not going to change the above,

oh, well, it might change your life, you never know, it will open new opportunities and bring new people to your life that will have good impact on everything that is happening to you.

 

[SwimCycleRun]

oh, well, it might change your life, you never know, it will open new opportunities and bring new people to your life that will have good impact on everything that is happening to you.

That's a fair point @master-dissertations. It's easy to think things will continue to be status quo when you aren't in the best head space. Thank you for that.

 

[Lab Vet]

@Lab Vet dangit, I know you were part of that lab med conversation but I was definitely mixing you up, probably with kcoughli? sorry about that 🙁 It really sucks to hear that you're struggling!

No worries 🙂

 

[Lab Vet]

Sorry to hear, @Lab Vet. I appreciate you posting here anyway and telling us about your experience. I hope things start looking up and work out for you <3

Thanks very much, @WildZoo. I've got several irons in the fire, and I'm sure something will turn up. Just this week, I stumbled upon an interesting opportunity that could be an excellent fit. I appreciate the support.

 

[Lab Vet]

Oh, @Lab Vet, I am so sorry to hear about everything that's happened.🙁 I hope that things start looking up for you once you're out of school and know that you've provided SDN with a great wealth of information and perspective here over the years, and I'm at least certainly grateful for your sharing your experiences. I always learn so much from your posts.

I, too, struggled immensely in vet school, to the point where I ended up leaving in December---halfway through second year. My experiences echo yours somewhat; I received a fair amount of judgment from classmates and others who thought that I didn't deserve to be in the program because I "clearly wasn't trying hard enough". It's really, really hard to be in that position. Yes, I guess I did "fail out" (well, sort of... I didn't fail any courses, but at my school even simply failing to maintain a certain GPA is grounds for dismissal), but it wasn't for lack of effort. The moment that it became clear that my grades were slipping, I started attending multiple tutoring sessions per week, meeting with professors to discuss deficiencies, studying harder and more often, but nothing seemed to improve. I gave it everything that I could, but it still just wasn't good enough at the end of it all. It's hard to deal with the usual imposter syndrome that most vet students face, especially at first, but it's another beast entirely to deal with that while actually doing poorly. I started to feel like I actually didn't deserve to be there and that I got in on some fluke. I was also dealing with some mental health issues at the time, which certainly didn't help. So I was dismissed after the fall 2017 semester. I lost all sources of income because I was working 2 jobs at the vet school that I was no longer allowed to work due to being a non-student and I obviously wasn't able to take out any of the loans for spring 2018. My morale and sense of self-worth was trashed, $107k in debt with nothing to show for it except for the bachelor's degree that cost not even half of that, and several times over the past 4 or so months, I came very, very close to making a drastic, irreversible decision. Thankfully, a new job opportunity presented itself a couple of weeks ago and it gave me new hope and new light.

Sorry for the ramble. I guess I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone here in having had a really, genuinely hard time in vet school and while I wasn't a non-traditional student and I can't say that I completely understand the entirety of what you've been through, I can empathize with a good deal of what you said. But I am proud of you for making it through the past 4 years in spite of your academic and mental struggles. I am proud of you for persevering and continuing onward with a positive attitude even after what happened with the match. You are strong and I am confident that you will excel in whatever path you take. I think many other SDNers would agree.

Thanks so much for your message of support, @Elkhart. I've followed your story closely (my heart goes out to you), and know you can relate to the position I'm currently in. I'm glad that a golden opportunity has presented itself to you, and that you've begun to regain your passion and hope. I've always counseled myself (and others), if you can look at yourself in the mirror at the end of each day and say, with honesty, that you've done the very best you could- that's all the world can ask from you. That doesn't make 'getting on' with things easier, it makes those next steps possible. Wishing you the very best in this next chapter of your life. Always glad to read your contributions here on SDN. Thanks for being in my corner.

 

[Lab Vet]

@Lab Vet - hugs. If I can help in any way (even for venting), please let me know.

Thanks so much for the support, @kaydubs. Hope that things are going well for you out in practice. I'll be sure to keep the SDN community apprised as to how things turn out for me. Much appreciated.

 

[supershorty]

I would recommend what others have on this forum and seek more stabilization with depression prior to matriculating. Vet School isn't as hard as some make it out to be, but I also believe that this is a product of their undergraduate environment, and what that experience was like. The real struggle with Vet Med is starting at 55-75k (depending on location), with massive amounts of debt and the mind-numbing days of 18 vaccine appointments. Stress will be a part of life and suicide is a real issue in this field. Mental health must be the priority, and everything is tertiary.

If you can defer, I would recommend it. Vet school may not be right for you, and it may be another path that is your calling. Vet med may be the right path for you, but just not this year.

I wish you the best of luck on this journey and I will pray for you!
Congrats on getting in to vet school, that is an amazing accomplishment on its own! Whether its Vet Med this year, next, or never; your future is bright and you will find what you love to do and will be excited about it!

So I know you're a first year, but just going to throw out there that this is not necessarily the case. You don't know what causes people to struggle in vet school. In my experience, first year was pretty easygoing and then second year punched me in the face (although my grades are actually better so far during second year) in terms of how difficult it was and how mentally draining I found it. I'd never struggled with academics until second year, and it was a big hit to my confidence, which turns into a perpetual cycle - don't do well on an exam, not trust my instincts on the next one, don't do well because I changed answers because I didn't trust myself, etc.

I didn't find vet school hard during first year the way some of my classmates did, but I sure do now.

Just a suggestion that you not minimize other's struggles during school. It might not be hard for you right now, but if it were, you wouldn't want to hear someone else implying that you're making a bigger deal out of it than it is. That struggle is real to the people going through it.