Family Kids & Vet School?

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violeta358

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Hi everyone, this is my first post. So initially I wanted to go straight from undergrad into vet school, but then I became pregnant with my son. I am graduating with my BS Biology in the fall and have decided to definitely postpone applying to vet school. I've done a lot of soul searching with my partner and even asked vets who did vet school with young children... I know it can be done, but I don't think it's for me.

Ultimately I'd prefer to wait to apply when my son is around 4 or 5 and starting school - I think this would be a better time for our family. But now I'm wondering what I should do in the time in between? I know there's always things you can do to better your chances of acceptance, but I'm trying to decide the best route.

So what would any of you advise for 3-4 years before applying? Master's program? Working as a vet tech? Something else?

Thanks!

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Hi!

If your grades and GRE are great, then I don't think you need to worry about more school, but maybe you could have some fun experiences in a variety of clinical settings, while you have some time. Mixing up some small animal, shelter, food animal, equine and zoo experiences would give you a great idea about what you like and don't like, which might also help you decide on schools with different areas of focus later when you go to apply. I would still say apply sooner rather than later if you can though, vet tech pay is terrible unless you have lots of experience and you don't want to be out of school too long either. Just my opinion though!
 
Congrats on your first post, graduating and the likes!

I don't have any direct experience with your situation, but you could always get any sort of vet related job for the 3-4 years you defer your applications. But working as a vet tech (at least in Canada and Australia "vet nurse") requires more schooling.

Now one thing I noticed is that you suggested doing a MSc between the 3 and 4 years.... a MSc is quite alot of work, so if you're willing or you think you can do a MSc during this time, why not go straight for vet? I'm sure you've got reasons and things but I just thought I'd point that out/I was curious!

Anyways there's tons of things you can do, just make sure you stay in the veterinary community (assisting, reception, etc) and may as well try and get some unique experience if you can (exotics, research, other stuff!).
 
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Thank you for the replies!

The problem is my GPA isn't top notch.. I'm taking the GRE in less than a month though. My GPA has been improving every semester (and actually, since I've had my baby) and I've heard that schools like to see improvement. I have a few things in my favor, like my first job at 18 was working as a vet tech - trained by the vet as I went along.

So, I think that more schooling could improve my chances but I'm not sure which would look better - a few years working as a tech (or in the field somewhere), or a Master's?

lostbunny - another reason why I'd consider completing a Master's is that they are a lot of work but I've heard firsthand from some colleagues they are more flexible... so the family life could still be maintained to the level I'd like it to. Hopefully. Also, I really, truly enjoy school and being in academia.
 
Thank you for the replies!

I'm really, really loathe to make a suggestion that goes against your gut feeling, so please, read this with a lot of suspicion.... but....

As a father of three, I think your time with them gets more valuable the older they get (at least, until they hit that point where time with parents is basically not cool). My 7-yo needs more of my time than my 4-yo who needs more of my time than my, er, two-month-old. Emotionally, anyway. Obviously, the baby needs a fair bit of physical attention for basic needs.

I don't know if it's different for a mother, of course. Also, my oldest is only 7, so it's not like I've experienced the full marathon of raising kids. But if I were you and I was positive I wanted to be a vet, I think I'd strongly consider pushing ahead earlier rather than later, unless your life situation is such that going back to school in a decade is something that makes sense and you'd be happy to wait.

Anyway.... I just thought I'd throw that out for you to mull over. Best of luck deciding what to do!!
 
You might want to look at 'online' degrees.

I know many four-year universities (like CSU) are offering the same degree you'd get in the classroom - online.

I know they have a Masters of Computer Science, but I don't know what else they offer.
 
I'm taking the GRE in less than a month though.



If you aren't applying this year, I'd suggest holding off on the GRE-- or at least being prepared to take it again. The GRE style is changing the end of the summer, and its possibly that by the time you apply (if you wait 3-4 years) your scores will either be a) not accepted due to old GRE style or b) out of date (some schools require the test to be taken within a certain time frame.)

Unless you need it for a M.S. degree. In that case, go for it!
 
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What you decide to do to fill the time should address the weakest (or weaker) points of your current application. You say your grades aren't great but that doesn't tell us a whole lot. Some people say they "aren't great" and have a 3.5 while others of us have sub-3.0 cumulative GPAs and still got a spot. Similarly, if you don't have very many experience hours (and I would strive for diversity outside of small animal), that might be something to address.

I would say Master's if you find something you're passionate about with some volunteering/paid work mixed in. Again, all depending on where your stats are currently. Good luck!
 
Just a thought for you to consider, but many vet schools have expiration dates on prerequisites. I don't know what your state school is but you may want to look into how long they will except your prerequisite courses. I know that was a concern for me when I applied and there were some schools I couldn't apply to because I took my prerequisites to long ago. Some schools require science courses to be taken within the past 6 years. If you take four years off and it took you 4 years to get your UG degree than that would mean the classes you took your first 2 years of college may not count for prerequisite credit. Again it depends on the school, but I suggest looking into that before you decide when you're going to apply or you might end up having to retake some classes.
 
As a mother of a 2 1/2 year old, I agree with LetItSnow 100%. But, in the end you have to do what is best for your situation. Good Luck!
 
A doctor i work with had her first child during her second or third year of vet school, and she regrets that she didn't continue on to specialize after she graduated. She chose to spend time to get her family together and be a full time mom until she could start working again.

As far as your situation goes, you're about to graduate with a bio degree (congrats by the way). if you plan on waiting 4-5 years to apply to vet school, you should definitely further your education with a masters program or look into research opportunities with a company like Hill's or maybe even Merial or Novartis. Stay busy or you will do yourself a disservice by letting your application become idle. I wouldn't recommend a low-income job at your local vet clinic (like a vet assistant) just because it's going to be hard to support your family and you've got a lovely degree to use! Doing a bit of shadowing here and there to stay fresh is always recommended, but I don't think it would be the best choice to make it your job for the next 4-5 years.

Best of luck and once again, congratulations.
 
As far as your situation goes, you're about to graduate with a bio degree (congrats by the way). if you plan on waiting 4-5 years to apply to vet school, you should definitely further your education with a masters program or look into research opportunities with a company like Hill's or maybe even Merial or Novartis.

I agree with this. Not sure if research is remotely interesting to you, but if you are, and you live near large universities/research hospitals/industry, it might be worth looking into working as a research technician. Generally, it doesn't pay very much, but the pay is usually better than a vet tech with full benefits and vacation time that are way better than you'd get from a little vet clinic. And for the most part, these jobs are a lot more flexible in terms of your schedule.

I'd imagine that with a new baby on board, it might be likely that your priorities will change over the next few years and you might actually even decide against going to vet school. Good thing about working in a lab is that not only will it build your resume for vet school, it can start building your for an alternate career. After a few years of experience under your belt, you can apply to work as a research associate in industry (better pay!), and some of these places will pay for you to get your masters if you stay with them long enough (even better pay!). Not sure if this is as prevalent now with the economy, but that's what I was told right before the market crash.
 
What you decide to do to fill the time should address the weakest (or weaker) points of your current application. You say your grades aren't great but that doesn't tell us a whole lot. Some people say they "aren't great" and have a 3.5 while others of us have sub-3.0 cumulative GPAs and still got a spot. Similarly, if you don't have very many experience hours (and I would strive for diversity outside of small animal), that might be something to address.

I would say Master's if you find something you're passionate about with some volunteering/paid work mixed in. Again, all depending on where your stats are currently. Good luck!

I want to say thanks for all of the replies and different, yet relevant, points of view! You are all definitely getting me thinking, and that's what I hoped for.

My GPA is around cum 3.2 right now. Yet last semester's GPA alone was 3.6. Again, I've been improving and I will continue to do so in my last semester.

I wanted to take the GRE this summer, before the changes, because I've heard the new test is going to be harder. I don't know if that's true, it's just what I've heard. I might as well take the current GRE anyway as the scores are good for several years.

It's good you mention getting a master's in something I'm passionate about because that was one thing I was considering. If I don't become a vet, I'd like to become an ornithologist. I was thinking of getting a master's in ornithology (zoology) and maybe later applying that to specializing in avian medicine???

For those who have mentioned I'd probably try for vet school sooner rather than later - I agree. It's my first baby so I'm new to this all - and especially new to how they develop and their needs at different stages. Interesting that some think they are more in need of their parents as older children.

I have done some research before, but it's been limited and actually unrelated to animals. It was more in the realm of ecology. I found out I wasn't too interested in pursuing that but it was still a very good experience. I realized quickly that higher levels of academia are focused with a lot of paper writing! A lot! I'm not sure that's for me although I know in a master's program there would be that huge element of research. But, professionally and career wise, that's probably not my goal.
 
I wanted to take the GRE this summer, before the changes, because I've heard the new test is going to be harder. I don't know if that's true, it's just what I've heard. I might as well take the current GRE anyway as the scores are good for several years.

theres been some talk about whether schools are going to switch to only taking the new GRE scores in a few years from now. it might be worth shooting an email to admissions at the schools you're interested in and ask them whether they plan to hold their policy on old scores or if they anticipate a change before you spend the money on the test.
 
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