Hardest Course?

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jakeandsadie

jakeandsadie

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Hi,

As a pre-vet student, I'm wondering which course(s) are the hardest in vet school?

Also, has anyone had Human A & P before going into vet school? If so, how much overlap is there in course content?

Thanks!
 
For me, while I put the most amount of work in Anatomy, Parasitology is the hardest IMO
 
I had human anatomy (not phys...I did a separate animal phys course) in undergrad, and it covered both gross and some microanatomy. We didn't do the actual dissections (the TAs did) because we didn't have enough cadavers for that, but I thought there was a fair amount of overlap as far as general structures and concepts. Anatomy in vet school definitely goes into more detail. The overlap isn't necessarily what I'm grateful for, but rather the previous experience in how to learn the material, and how to study for exams. Overall, I'm glad I took human anatomy
 
The hardest course for me this first semester has been physiological chemistry. I only took the minimal biochemistry course needed for admission, never took cell bio or anything else, so I've really had to bust my butt just to pull off a B in the class. Other people in my class who have had more of a background haven't had as much trouble I don't think... our class averages have been really high.

I also took human anatomy in undergrad, veterinary anatomy goes into far more depth than we ever did. I personally don't really feel like I have much of an advantage for having taken it.
 
1st year - anatomy
2nd year - pharmacology, also clinical pathology
3rd year - radiology

I'm sure how hard certain classes are depends on the school. for instance, some schools don't have a separate radiology course.
 
Our physiology class is the hardest for me right now. Partly it's hard because it takes a ton of motivation for me to sit down and study it.
 
Physiology chemistry, for sure. Like turnandburn, I only took the basic biochemistry needed for admission. So while I'm doing well in the class, I have to study way harder than for any other class. Also, one of the tutors is a friend of mine, and I take advantage of that quite frequently! It doesn't help that we have that lecture every single day of the entire quarter, so the sheer amount of material on each exam is very overwhelming.

I did take animal anatomy & phys in undergrad, as well as human physiology and unfortunately I'm not finding either one all that helpful. I know that part of that is that I've forgotten a lot, but also, vet school is just so much more in depth.
 
I think my hardest class is histology...there's a lot of detail about molecular stuff that just doesn't stick in my mind. As far as anatomy goes, I think it is difficult but way more interesting which makes it easier to learn. I took an animal A & P in undergrad but there was no dissection so it didn't really help. I have been doing just fine without a good prep course in anatomy but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt!
 
dyachei said:
I'm sure how hard certain classes are depends on the school. for instance, some schools don't have a separate radiology course.
Click to expand...

And some schools have it but might not cover the same stuff... we have radiology second semester of first year, and I've been told it's something to look forward to because it's both enjoyable and easy.
 
Shanomong said:
And some schools have it but might not cover the same stuff... we have radiology second semester of first year, and I've been told it's something to look forward to because it's both enjoyable and easy.
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Exactly. And another example is that we didnt have a biochem course in vet school (though we covered some of that material in physiology and later pharmacology). So it's a pretty subjective thing depending on the school.

And I also think histology was pretty hard, not so much the first semester, but definitely the second semester.
 
I think it depends on the individual and the school and the instructor...and class mates.! I guess that just means it depends.

I probably spent more time on anatomy, but it had a lot more credits. Physio was the most difficult for me because I am not good with mechanisms and processes (particularly at the molecular level) but bacteriology was the most tedious and hardest to motivate myself to deal with (probably because of the instructor.) Finally, histology about demolished me; the microscopes gave me a massive migraine every Monday and Friday and we had to obtain a special lens to enable me to funciton on exams. Oh, and I hated the system for evidence based med & careers was a half joke.
 
Well I took both human and animal A&P. The human really is not that applicable. A totally different perspective of care. Undergrad level animal A&P can vary -- for the most part it is not near as hard of course, but is far better than nothing. CSU's is excellent and fairly comparable actually. If I could encourage you to take any additional prep class it would be a good animal anatomy. Then maybe a cell/molecular bio course -- yes I know how painful that knowlege is, but you actually do need to know it believe it or not!

I am not really a good judge of the difficulty of first semester vet school classes as I did a MS program designed around wanna be vet and meds. But from what I hear from my classmates, anatomy/physiology (just overwhelming info overload) and physiological (bio-)chem (WTF, why!) are the tough ones at MN. Nonetheless, I am going to be a B student this semester. So even one as great as me:barf: will struggle in vet school. So far though, it is everything I ever dreamed it would be ... and harder. Good luck peoples. 👍 T&B come join our study groups.

CR
 
dyachei said:
1st year - anatomy
2nd year - pharmacology, also clinical pathology
3rd year - radiology

I'm sure how hard certain classes are depends on the school. for instance, some schools don't have a separate radiology course.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the encouraging words! :meanie:
 
Thanks for all the information, everyone!

Besides the Human Anatomy & Physiology, I've had undergrad courses in Animal Physiology (including Physiology of Reproduction and Digestive Physiology), Biochem, Microbiology, Genetics, Nutrition, etc. I'm hoping all of those courses will help.
 
Caninerepro said:
Well I took both human and animal A&P. The human really is not that applicable. A totally different perspective of care. Undergrad level animal A&P can vary -- for the most part it is not near as hard of course, but is far better than nothing. CSU's is excellent and fairly comparable actually. If I could encourage you to take any additional prep class it would be a good animal anatomy. Then maybe a cell/molecular bio course -- yes I know how painful that knowlege is, but you actually do need to know it believe it or not!

I am not really a good judge of the difficulty of first semester vet school classes as I did a MS program designed around wanna be vet and meds. But from what I hear from my classmates, anatomy/physiology (just overwhelming info overload) and physiological (bio-)chem (WTF, why!) are the tough ones at MN. Nonetheless, I am going to be a B student this semester. So even one as great as me:barf: will struggle in vet school. So far though, it is everything I ever dreamed it would be ... and harder. Good luck peoples. 👍 T&B come join our study groups.

CR
Click to expand...

🙂 Thanks for the offer. I have been studying with a friend but I think the hardest part is motivating myself to care 🙄. Although I think we are finally starting to move into a little more relevant material!
 
turnandburn said:
🙂 Thanks for the offer. I have been studying with a friend but I think the hardest part is motivating myself to care 🙄. Although I think we are finally starting to move into a little more relevant material!
Click to expand...

Agreed, at least Histology was getting interesting for a while! 😛
 
StealthDog said:
My hardest course was Immunology... I definitely regretted not taking an immunology course during undergrad.
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So I see yet another warning from my more senior MN fellows. Trying, and succeeding, at scaring the crap out of the first years I see. 😱 :meanie: :laugh:
 
IMHO you dont know pain until you have done pathology.

ALP, AST, ALT, WCC, MCV, PCV, MCHC, left shift, regenerative anemia, Dohle bodies...so many things to interpret and so little time during exams.
 
So I see yet another warning from my more senior MN fellows. Trying, and succeeding, at scaring the crap out of the first years I see.
Click to expand...

If it makes you feel better, a lot of my classmates didn't feel the same way about Immunology (they thought biochem was worse). But then, I had a great biochem course in undergrad, and never took immunology, so that's probably why the difference.

Second year radiology is the class that made us lose a couple students, though.
 
StealthDog said:
If it makes you feel better, a lot of my classmates didn't feel the same way about Immunology (they thought biochem was worse). But then, I had a great biochem course in undergrad, and never took immunology, so that's probably why the difference.

Second year radiology is the class that made us lose a couple students, though.
Click to expand...

Yeah I thought first year radiology was a cakewalk until the final.... Yet another B in the end. I am getting a lot of those, and things are not looking up for finals either. +pity+

Good to know where we need to watch out though.
 
Parasitology was insanely difficult. It was the professor's last year teaching it after a very long time, so I think he wanted to leave us with a memorable adios! Super specific questions with everything that was not emphasized in the lectures emphasized on the exam.
 
BlistexWorks said:
Parasitology was insanely difficult. It was the professor's last year teaching it after a very long time, so I think he wanted to leave us with a memorable adios! Super specific questions with everything that was not emphasized in the lectures emphasized on the exam.
Click to expand...

I am feeling your pain - We had 3 different professor's who each wrote one exam (and they split the duty on the other 2). One exam, if you didn't know every PPP you most likely failed. Next exam, not a single PPP question, but you had better have learned your "Clinical Signs" (which was not even asked on the previous exam). Final - was all about routes of transmission... It was a constant guessing game. Hate it - glad its over - not give me my nice wall chart from IDEXX and I will never have to think about it again (ok, maybe for the NAVLE)
 
Histology, organology, neurobiology, pathology... those all kicked my arse.

Amazing how something that is seemingly simple to me (and there isn't much at all!) is so challenging for others, and vice versa!
 
No Imagination said:
I am feeling your pain - We had 3 different professor's who each wrote one exam
Click to expand...

That describes our physio class! One professor who spent so much time on background neuro stuff to explain his exercise physio (half the lectures, literally) and then the only question about the neuro part was 'draw an action potential and label it.' Argh! Next professor wants lots and lots (8 pages) of detailed diagrams of neuro stuff (like oculomotor diagram, and NT packaging and release.) Third loved multiple choice. 2-3 options would be statements, with 2-3 being 'both a and c' or 'all of the above' or 'a and b.' Endocrin. And did a 12 question segment over a set of three slides that he barely skimmed. I wouldn't have understood the questions even if I had memorized the slide (I guess for people who had school more recently, that part wasn't so bad, it had to do with cAMP and kinase mechanisms and such...but 10+ years means I don't remember the details anymore.) My only C+...everything else was a B+ or above. made me grumpy. 😀
 
gone
 
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Which classes are difficult varies widely from individual to individual.

That said, the traditional "weed-out" classes here at KSU are:
First year--neuroscience (now an elective...)
Second year--pharmacology
Third year--junior surgery

One of our parasitology instructors was LEGENDARY for difficult grading. Perhaps her most famous question on our first exam:
"Q: A greyhound you are walking vomits up this worm. What is it? (roundworm)
Q2: Where was this worm immediately before the dog vomited the worm?"

Every person in our class lost a point on that answer for writing down "In the small intestine."

Apparently, we were not specific enough. -1 point for not saying "in the dog." As in, "the small intestine in the dog."

Was glad to get a B in that one. 😉
 
alliecat44 said:
One of our parasitology instructors was LEGENDARY for difficult grading. Perhaps her most famous question on our first exam:
"Q: A greyhound you are walking vomits up this worm. What is it? (roundworm)
Q2: Where was this worm immediately before the dog vomited the worm?"

Every person in our class lost a point on that answer for writing down "In the small intestine."

Apparently, we were not specific enough. -1 point for not saying "in the dog." As in, "the small intestine in the dog."

Was glad to get a B in that one. 😉
Click to expand...

I would have been really messed up.... I probably would have answered in the greyhound's mouth....last place it could have been. I constantly have to ask prof's what they mean.
 
Jochebed said:
as a VMRCVMer, here's our "hard" classes:
1st year - Biochem & Parasitology
2nd year - Pharm, Clin. Path., Bacti.
3rd year - GI

Though we did lose folks over Radiology and Therio too. (2nd year)
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I AGREE on biochem. Ugh. (And I'm sure I'll agree that the rest are hard when I get there, too...)
 
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Jochebed said:
Zajac is a fan of answers like this:
1. A only
2. A and C
3. C and B
4. A, B, and C
5. A, B, C and D
6. D only
7. C and D

HATED parasit...good luck 🙁
Click to expand...

That sounds EXACTLY like our fall pharmacology professor 😡
 
Jochebed said:
Zajac is a fan of answers like this:
1. A only
2. A and C
3. C and B
4. A, B, and C
5. A, B, C and D
6. D only
7. C and D

HATED parasit...good luck 🙁
Click to expand...

Before the final exam she gave us a "pep talk" and explained that she made the final so difficult so that the "A" students would have to work for it. That class was horrible and she is the antichrist.....
 
our radiology professor use to make answers that had very little changed (very tricky) and, no joke, would have a-k or l😡
 
Our epidemiology final was evil. Most questions had five to seven or eight options, and you could circle as many or as few as you wanted. Maybe none of the options were right (and he did this on practice sets, so it was totally possible), maybe one or two were right, and maybe they were all right (also just as likely).

It was so bad, that I got a 67% and landed a B+. I think the range for B's was 40-70%, no joke.
 
jjohnston said:
Our epidemiology final was evil. Most questions had five to seven or eight options, and you could circle as many or as few as you wanted. Maybe none of the options were right (and he did this on practice sets, so it was totally possible), maybe one or two were right, and maybe they were all right (also just as likely).

It was so bad, that I got a 67% and landed a B+. I think the range for B's was 40-70%, no joke.
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I was JUST thinking about that horrible class as I read this thread... I was like, I feel kinda silly thinking that was the hardest class I've had so far, but... I really think it was!!! I didn't get along with the prof, felt like I barely understood the concepts, and was thrilled with my 70 something B+. But, I mean, doesn't it say something when ppl are scoring in the 30%s and that's still a C?? Because to me, it does. /rant :laugh:
 
CSU said:
Are you serious? Lost? As in out of the program?😱
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Wow, this is scary stuff. Don't programs want to keep all of their peeps in US schools? Are people failing these courses because they stop trying, don't work hard enough, or what? In US schools, if you fail a course, are you out or do you automatically have the opportunity (or are required to) re do the year? 😕
 
Programs do want to keep students, but students need to pass. For us, you can't fail a required course and you can only get so many D's per semester (I think 2?) If you fail, I think they bring you back into the previous class to repeat the year. If you fail again, I don't think you can come back to repeat another year - I think you'd be out of the program, but I don't know for sure.

There are a variety of reasons students fail courses, from family and medical issues to just being overwhelmed. I'm sure some people aren't working hard enough, but everyone in my class seems to be working REALLY hard - both those doing well and those not doing so well, so I don't think it's an issue of laziness.
 
Programs want to keep all their students (they don't want open spots in their class-less tuition $$$ coming in), but they can't just let everyone pass because they made it into vet school if they don't understand the material or can't handle the demands.

Here, you can't get below a C in a class, otherwise you have to drop back into the next class and repeat the whole year (and pay another year of tuition). And you can't do that more than twice-3 strikes and you're out of vet school. Every class seems to lose at least a few people.

Its rarely from lack of trying or not working hard enough-its from the stress, sometimes overwhelming courses, family or medical issues that cause the student to lose study time, etc.
 
I thought parasitology was a cakewalk compared to Pharmacology. [shudder]
 
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