Help!

[ldagen]

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Hi I am a junior in undergraduate and I am just starting to think I might want to go into veterinary school instead of a physician's assistant. All my life I have wanted to work in the medical field so I have been preparing for that, not anything veterinary. I don't have any experience working with vets or anything, but I do have really good grades. I am wondering what I can do to increase my chances of getting into vet school. Anything helps, thanks!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Hi I am a junior in undergraduate and I am just starting to think I might want to go into veterinary school instead of a physician's assistant. All my life I have wanted to work in the medical field so I have been preparing for that, not anything veterinary. I don't have any experience working with vets or anything, but I do have really good grades. I am wondering what I can do to increase my chances of getting into vet school. Anything helps, thanks!

Get experience and then decide if you still want to do this.

 

[EB73674]

Yup! I would start working with a veterinarian this year so you can get some experience before you decide to launch yourself into vet school. That will help you decide if this is right for you before spending scads of time and money on applications. If you decide it's right for you, research the cheapest school you can go to (likely your in-state or one that allows you to reclassify as an in-state resident) and look into what pre-reqs and requirements they have.

 

[KCgophervet]

To add to what's already been said, you'll need (like, hundreds of) hours of experience working with vets to even be a contender for vet school so don't just brush it off thinking you're 100% sure that it's what you want to do. Not saying you will but I've seen enough responses to this advice on this site in the past. Get experience working with vets, talk to them about their work, life, debt, etc and get a really good idea of the field before you jump in head first

 

[Lupin21]

And on that topic, make sure you talk to newer grads as well. Those that have graduated within the last 5 years or so since their experience with current life as a vet will be very different than those who have been out 15 plus years.

 

[that redhead]

What is it about vet med that interests you?

Like others have said, it’s crucial that you start getting veterinary experience hours (which are classified differently on the application than animal experience hours), both to understand the field and to make yourself a competitive applicant.

 

[ldagen]

Yup! I would start working with a veterinarian this year so you can get some experience before you decide to launch yourself into vet school. That will help you decide if this is right for you before spending scads of time and money on applications. If you decide it's right for you, research the cheapest school you can go to (likely your in-state or one that allows you to reclassify as an in-state resident) and look into what pre-reqs and requirements they have.

Okay thank you!! Do you know if volunteering at a vets office would be just as good as getting a job there?

 

[that redhead]

Okay thank you!! Do you know if volunteering at a vets office would be just as good as getting a job there?

Volunteering with the vet (commonly known as shadowing) definitely counts for experience.