- Joined
- Aug 1, 2008
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
- 25
I just wanted to share my personal story with you all. Hopefully it can motivate anyone who thinks their journey to vet school is too hard or are currently having obstacles. It’s quite long so if you have the time, feel free to take some time and read it =)
Ever since I was little, I loved science and animals. I grew up in a very bad neighbourhood and got into a lot of fights. When I moved to a new school in gr.6, I had no friends, and everything was new so it was understandable that I’d be shy and quiet. My teacher and my classmates however, thought it strange. In fact, they thought that I was mentally ******ed and actually had a psychologist brought in to evaluate me. So I was labeled as the awkward and stupid kid; and as we all know, people become their labels. I kept quiet and weird to avoid surprising them. I pretended to speak little English when in fact I am perfectly fluent. When I completed elementary, this label went with me to high school.
In high school, I struggled with keeping up. My group of ‘friends’ consisted of people from my elementary school so I had to keep the label they gave me, except I am speaking normally now. I was afraid to excel in my classes and paid little attention in class and to my homework. The low grades caused turmoil at home. My parents were very traditional asian parents, so they scolded and hit me a lot. They’d yell and hit me very often, which lead to lower grades, which led to them yelling and hitting me more, and so on. My younger brother was in the same school and unlike me, he seemed to be very smart. He got great grades and was my parents’ favorite. They bought him whatever he wanted (new laptop, PC, etc.) but only gave me scoldings. In gr. 9 I was wrongfully suspended because a teacher thought I wrote an insult about him in a desk that wasn’t even mine. I was still quiet and awkward, so perhaps that is why I was used as the scapegoat. I tried telling them I didn’t do it but that only made him and the principle angry. The more I denied it, the more they yelled at me. So I just took the blame to make them stop. When I returned, they sent me to counselling and the counselor asked me things like why I did it etc. and I had to make up an entire story why I did it. I just told them I felt like it. The suspension apparently gained me favor with a bad group of kids, so now I had a new label – that of a delinquent.
In grade 11, we were allowed to choose two elective classes. I excitedly chose physics and chemistry. I tried my utter best in those courses but failed miserably. Failing those courses made me believe that I was incapable of science. I failed English, art, and would have failed math but the teacher gave me 50% because I came in after school every day to his extra study sessions even though I was the only one who attended. Failing my classes only caused more anger in my parents. I was a failure to everybody, so I decided to take my own life… But I failed that too. Apparently it’s harder to OD on drugs than I thought. Once in gr.12 I had to repeat English 11 and surprisingly found that I am a natural at English. I got the highest marks on essays and got complemented by my teacher a lot. Once, the class had to create a poem in 5 minutes and read it out. I thought my poem sucked but when I read it, my teacher was amazed, like I was some prodigy or something. I also got complements from my fellow classmates. This positive atmosphere made me do really well in the class and I ended up with my first ‘A’ in my entire life.
After high school, I still thought science was beyond me, but now I knew I was good at English at least. So I decided to become a police officer since they just required 60 credits of anything. Once in college, I wasn’t around any negative influences anymore. I didn’t have my toxic friends and my parents pretty much gave up on me so they just stopped scolding me all together. Without all the negativity, I was surprised to find that I did extremely well. I got A’s and B’s; something I’ve never achieved before. I dragged my criminology degree out for six years because the police force usually didn’t accept people under 26. They also required volunteer work, and the only one I could find at the time was at a local wildlife rescue shelter. During my time there, they taught me how to treat animals and give them medication. Knowing that I helped save an animal that would have otherwise perished was the best feeling in the world. By this time I was in my final year of my degree, but during one of my shifts at work, I was speaking to an employee and she told me to always pursue what makes me happy, no matter what. No matter how old I am, no matter how far into a field I’ve come, and no matter what anyone says. I considered her words for a long time. A couple days later, I told my parents at dinner that I wanted to become a vet and save animals, as this is what makes me truly happy. They appreciated my enthusiasm, but told me it was beyond my reach and to stay in criminology. So I went to my school counselor and she told me the same thing. I remembered how I was incapable of science and was about to abandon my dream when I said to myself, “NO! I have to at LEAST try.” So against all the advice of everyone telling me not to, and despite the fact that I thought science was literally an impossible task, I made the switch to molecular biology.
I applied to my local university and luckily with my good grades, they accepted me. I was not used to the large class sizes, the size of the school, the class material, and just pretty much everything. This was a daunting task and I was afraid, but I held my ground. The first semester was brutal; I had the hardest time of my life. I was not able to understand simple things (simple to me now) like mitosis and meiosis and actually cried because I thought I was truly stupid and would fail. I did not give up however, and gave it my absolute all. I studied every single day without breaks. I would spend hours on just one question because I was determined to solve it. My parents at this time did not help at all. They kept telling me to quit and to just go into policing, get a job, and make money. They also yelled at me to stop bugging my brother when I asked him for help, so I did it by myself. I ended up finishing the first semester with a low GPA, which was disheartening. Still determined, I continued with my program; and with each passing semester, I got better and better. I dragged my GPA up slowly and was more comfortable with the material. Now, it wasn’t just a smooth ride through (besides the studying), I had TONS of problems that deterred me away from pursuing my dream. I had so many problems that I came up with a saying. Whenever a problem came up that kept me from my goal, I just said to myself, “Just another bump in the road…” sat down, and figured a way to solve my problem. After my first semester, my parents didn’t support me anymore. “Another bump in the road” I told myself, and took up extra shifts at work. My friend from high school became a delivery truck driver right after high school and would constantly persuade me to stop my goal. I reasoned he was afraid that I would surpass him in life – and I was right. He was another “bump” so I left him as a friend and stopped talking to him. He was a bad friend anyway and insulted me a lot. During my program, I volunteered at two places, maintained a part-time job to support myself, and studied almost every waking moment to keep my grades up. This was the hardest time in my entire life. I soon found this forum and came for support, and most people were receptive, encouraging, and helpful. However, there are of course the ones who actively insulted me and thought I should not become a vet (because of the fact I came from criminology), but I just ignored them. I do appreciate all those who stood up for me though! If you’re reading this then thank you. You’ve helped me more than you thought!
Now in my final year, I managed to drag my GPA up from the hole it was in and I’m finishing my final semester this fall. During this summer, I gathered all my references I worked my bones off for, filled out all application forms, studied my butt off for the GRE while everyone had fun, and I applied for vet school. While waiting for their reply, doubts began creeping into my head. I wondered what I’ll do if I don’t become a vet. Research perhaps? What if I don’t get into that either? I was preparing myself for the upcoming rejection letters. I imagined myself reading them and feeling the pain that even giving it my all, I still failed. So imagine my delight when I got accepted!! Not just to one, but ALL the schools I’ve applied for. Not only that, the school I really wanted to get into has offered me a scholarship for “academic excellence”! The feeling is indescribable. Not the acceptances, but the feeling of tackling something I thought was literally impossible and coming out victorious.
I start next year; and even though my journey has not ended, it has moved onto the final chapter. I did not let anything stop me; not the low GPA at first, not my parents, not my friends, and not the insane amount of obstacles that got in my way. So to everyone who has read this far, if there is something you really want, whether it’s to become a vet or a master pianist, you must strive for it. If I beat the impossible, then you can too. Work your butt off for it, and never let anyone get in your way. You WILL come across problems that stop your progress, I guarantee it. But you know what? They are “just another bump in the road.” Take some time, sit down, and make a plan to get around it. Because in the end, after all the blood and sweat, having overcome your impossible limitations and moving onto your dream is beyond words. It is extremely liberating and lets you know that there is nothing you can’t do.
And that is what makes life so great.
Ever since I was little, I loved science and animals. I grew up in a very bad neighbourhood and got into a lot of fights. When I moved to a new school in gr.6, I had no friends, and everything was new so it was understandable that I’d be shy and quiet. My teacher and my classmates however, thought it strange. In fact, they thought that I was mentally ******ed and actually had a psychologist brought in to evaluate me. So I was labeled as the awkward and stupid kid; and as we all know, people become their labels. I kept quiet and weird to avoid surprising them. I pretended to speak little English when in fact I am perfectly fluent. When I completed elementary, this label went with me to high school.
In high school, I struggled with keeping up. My group of ‘friends’ consisted of people from my elementary school so I had to keep the label they gave me, except I am speaking normally now. I was afraid to excel in my classes and paid little attention in class and to my homework. The low grades caused turmoil at home. My parents were very traditional asian parents, so they scolded and hit me a lot. They’d yell and hit me very often, which lead to lower grades, which led to them yelling and hitting me more, and so on. My younger brother was in the same school and unlike me, he seemed to be very smart. He got great grades and was my parents’ favorite. They bought him whatever he wanted (new laptop, PC, etc.) but only gave me scoldings. In gr. 9 I was wrongfully suspended because a teacher thought I wrote an insult about him in a desk that wasn’t even mine. I was still quiet and awkward, so perhaps that is why I was used as the scapegoat. I tried telling them I didn’t do it but that only made him and the principle angry. The more I denied it, the more they yelled at me. So I just took the blame to make them stop. When I returned, they sent me to counselling and the counselor asked me things like why I did it etc. and I had to make up an entire story why I did it. I just told them I felt like it. The suspension apparently gained me favor with a bad group of kids, so now I had a new label – that of a delinquent.
In grade 11, we were allowed to choose two elective classes. I excitedly chose physics and chemistry. I tried my utter best in those courses but failed miserably. Failing those courses made me believe that I was incapable of science. I failed English, art, and would have failed math but the teacher gave me 50% because I came in after school every day to his extra study sessions even though I was the only one who attended. Failing my classes only caused more anger in my parents. I was a failure to everybody, so I decided to take my own life… But I failed that too. Apparently it’s harder to OD on drugs than I thought. Once in gr.12 I had to repeat English 11 and surprisingly found that I am a natural at English. I got the highest marks on essays and got complemented by my teacher a lot. Once, the class had to create a poem in 5 minutes and read it out. I thought my poem sucked but when I read it, my teacher was amazed, like I was some prodigy or something. I also got complements from my fellow classmates. This positive atmosphere made me do really well in the class and I ended up with my first ‘A’ in my entire life.
After high school, I still thought science was beyond me, but now I knew I was good at English at least. So I decided to become a police officer since they just required 60 credits of anything. Once in college, I wasn’t around any negative influences anymore. I didn’t have my toxic friends and my parents pretty much gave up on me so they just stopped scolding me all together. Without all the negativity, I was surprised to find that I did extremely well. I got A’s and B’s; something I’ve never achieved before. I dragged my criminology degree out for six years because the police force usually didn’t accept people under 26. They also required volunteer work, and the only one I could find at the time was at a local wildlife rescue shelter. During my time there, they taught me how to treat animals and give them medication. Knowing that I helped save an animal that would have otherwise perished was the best feeling in the world. By this time I was in my final year of my degree, but during one of my shifts at work, I was speaking to an employee and she told me to always pursue what makes me happy, no matter what. No matter how old I am, no matter how far into a field I’ve come, and no matter what anyone says. I considered her words for a long time. A couple days later, I told my parents at dinner that I wanted to become a vet and save animals, as this is what makes me truly happy. They appreciated my enthusiasm, but told me it was beyond my reach and to stay in criminology. So I went to my school counselor and she told me the same thing. I remembered how I was incapable of science and was about to abandon my dream when I said to myself, “NO! I have to at LEAST try.” So against all the advice of everyone telling me not to, and despite the fact that I thought science was literally an impossible task, I made the switch to molecular biology.
I applied to my local university and luckily with my good grades, they accepted me. I was not used to the large class sizes, the size of the school, the class material, and just pretty much everything. This was a daunting task and I was afraid, but I held my ground. The first semester was brutal; I had the hardest time of my life. I was not able to understand simple things (simple to me now) like mitosis and meiosis and actually cried because I thought I was truly stupid and would fail. I did not give up however, and gave it my absolute all. I studied every single day without breaks. I would spend hours on just one question because I was determined to solve it. My parents at this time did not help at all. They kept telling me to quit and to just go into policing, get a job, and make money. They also yelled at me to stop bugging my brother when I asked him for help, so I did it by myself. I ended up finishing the first semester with a low GPA, which was disheartening. Still determined, I continued with my program; and with each passing semester, I got better and better. I dragged my GPA up slowly and was more comfortable with the material. Now, it wasn’t just a smooth ride through (besides the studying), I had TONS of problems that deterred me away from pursuing my dream. I had so many problems that I came up with a saying. Whenever a problem came up that kept me from my goal, I just said to myself, “Just another bump in the road…” sat down, and figured a way to solve my problem. After my first semester, my parents didn’t support me anymore. “Another bump in the road” I told myself, and took up extra shifts at work. My friend from high school became a delivery truck driver right after high school and would constantly persuade me to stop my goal. I reasoned he was afraid that I would surpass him in life – and I was right. He was another “bump” so I left him as a friend and stopped talking to him. He was a bad friend anyway and insulted me a lot. During my program, I volunteered at two places, maintained a part-time job to support myself, and studied almost every waking moment to keep my grades up. This was the hardest time in my entire life. I soon found this forum and came for support, and most people were receptive, encouraging, and helpful. However, there are of course the ones who actively insulted me and thought I should not become a vet (because of the fact I came from criminology), but I just ignored them. I do appreciate all those who stood up for me though! If you’re reading this then thank you. You’ve helped me more than you thought!
Now in my final year, I managed to drag my GPA up from the hole it was in and I’m finishing my final semester this fall. During this summer, I gathered all my references I worked my bones off for, filled out all application forms, studied my butt off for the GRE while everyone had fun, and I applied for vet school. While waiting for their reply, doubts began creeping into my head. I wondered what I’ll do if I don’t become a vet. Research perhaps? What if I don’t get into that either? I was preparing myself for the upcoming rejection letters. I imagined myself reading them and feeling the pain that even giving it my all, I still failed. So imagine my delight when I got accepted!! Not just to one, but ALL the schools I’ve applied for. Not only that, the school I really wanted to get into has offered me a scholarship for “academic excellence”! The feeling is indescribable. Not the acceptances, but the feeling of tackling something I thought was literally impossible and coming out victorious.
I start next year; and even though my journey has not ended, it has moved onto the final chapter. I did not let anything stop me; not the low GPA at first, not my parents, not my friends, and not the insane amount of obstacles that got in my way. So to everyone who has read this far, if there is something you really want, whether it’s to become a vet or a master pianist, you must strive for it. If I beat the impossible, then you can too. Work your butt off for it, and never let anyone get in your way. You WILL come across problems that stop your progress, I guarantee it. But you know what? They are “just another bump in the road.” Take some time, sit down, and make a plan to get around it. Because in the end, after all the blood and sweat, having overcome your impossible limitations and moving onto your dream is beyond words. It is extremely liberating and lets you know that there is nothing you can’t do.
And that is what makes life so great.
