High School Junior Pre-vet Questions

[Ar7iem]

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Hi all!

I've gotten a lot of questions answered just by poking around the forums (yay, search function), but I was hoping to get some advice specifically regarding my situation.

I'm a high school junior with a GPA of 3.9 unweighted, currently taking 2 AP classes (my school offers only about 6).

In terms of experience, I've been volunteering for a wildlife clinic and I've got 300+ hours of medical, but not vet-observed, experience from it. I also have about 200 hours volunteering for a small animal clinic. I'm not sure if it counts for anything since I'm not directly observed by a vet and mostly help the technicians. It was intended to be a shadowing-type position, but I ended up doing a lot of cleanup/stocking/some observation. I was a bit disappointed about that since I've heard a lot of people build great relationships with the vets they shadow.

I also have a paid job at a pet store, which boards some exotic animals and involves mostly customer service/answering a lot of questions about people's pets at home. I've learned a lot about basic husbandry/nutrition, but I'm not confident that it counts as animal experience. If nothing else, it's made me more knowledgeable and will be a good addition to my resume.

Last summer, I did a total of 3 weeks of summer programs at 2 different vet schools (one of which was in Europe). It involved shadowing and lectures. I'm not sure if this can be counted towards experience.

Next summer, I plan to look for a job as a vet assistant or apply for an internship.

My biggest questions are:

Do my volunteer/work experiences count toward animal/vet experience?
Does it matter where I go for my undergrad degree?
Am I on the right track, or should I be focusing my efforts in other ways?

Sorry, this got a bit lengthy! Thank you for any advice and for reading through that big block of text.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

Hi all!

I've gotten a lot of questions answered just by poking around the forums (yay, search function), but I was hoping to get some advice specifically regarding my situation.

I'm a high school junior with a GPA of 3.9 unweighted, currently taking 2 AP classes (my school offers only about 6).

In terms of experience, I've been volunteering for a wildlife clinic and I've got 300+ hours of medical, but not vet-observed, experience from it. I also have about 200 hours volunteering for a small animal clinic. I'm not sure if it counts for anything since I'm not directly observed by a vet and mostly help the technicians. It was intended to be a shadowing-type position, but I ended up doing a lot of cleanup/stocking/some observation. I was a bit disappointed about that since I've heard a lot of people build great relationships with the vets they shadow.

I also have a paid job at a pet store, which boards some exotic animals and involves mostly customer service/answering a lot of questions about people's pets at home. I've learned a lot about basic husbandry/nutrition, but I'm not confident that it counts as animal experience. If nothing else, it's made me more knowledgeable and will be a good addition to my resume.

Last summer, I did a total of 3 weeks of summer programs at 2 different vet schools (one of which was in Europe). It involved shadowing and lectures. I'm not sure if this can be counted towards experience.

Next summer, I plan to look for a job as a vet assistant or apply for an internship.

My biggest questions are:

Do my volunteer/work experiences count toward animal/vet experience?
Does it matter where I go for my undergrad degree?
Am I on the right track, or should I be focusing my efforts in other ways?

Sorry, this got a bit lengthy! Thank you for any advice and for reading through that big block of text.

So you're in high school, you have two volunteer gigs, and you have a job. I think the most important advice is this: don't burn yourself out. It's really easy to take on too many things and to become exhausted and overwhelmed. Make time for hobbies OUTSIDE of vet med. It's important for your eventual application, but it's also really important for your own mental health and well-being. Make sure you explore other career choices as well. Keep your mind and options open - you might find a different career that's a better fit (or you might not!) but try not to dismiss all other possibilities at this stage. Have fun, enjoy learning about different careers. And make time for you. 🙂

 

[futurevet_11]

I was just like you in high school, constantly worrying about vet school, but the truth is things might change when you get to college or you might get burnt out and/or no longer be interested in vet med. The majority of the bulking of my resume I did for vet school was in college during the summers. Your current experiences will count towards your application in the future. It doesn't really matter where you go to undergrad. Some choose to do a few years at community college to save money, others like me went to a research university. Some vet schools do take the rigor of your undergrad education into account when going through your application, but its a very, very small portion of the application so it doesn't truly matter. From what I've heard, it does look better to take all your classes, especially all pre reqs in person at a four year university but it is not mandatory by any means. Vet school is extremely expensive so keep in mind that minimizing debt in undergrad is important.

My biggest advice would be to find some hobbies outside of vet med that you can participate in now and in college. It will help keep you sane and make you a more diverse applicant.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Very much this. Find some unique things to do that you enjoy. There are so many cookie-cutter applicants with high GPAs, lots of vet experience, etc....who also seem to have done absolutely nothing else in their lives and are completely one-dimensional. Get involved in something that you enjoy and will make you stand out. Volunteer, give back to your community, get involved in leadership roles, etc.

I also worked at a pet store while in undergrad 🙂 It was a cool little mom and pop shop that specialized in fresh/saltwater and reptiles, and as an employee you were expected to know your **** - this wasn't Petsmart. I learned a lot not just about exotic care but also how to educate people about how to properly keep animals and basic customer service. We had to respectfully and helpfully educate people who didn't know what they were doing or appreciate the time/needs of the animal (like the lady that asked me i she could keep three african cichlids in a bowl ) and even in some cases had to refuse a sale because they wouldn't listen, and learning how to navigate situations like that was really helpful - especially as an undergrad when you still feel young and not very confident.

I think it would definitely be a benefit to your application if you emphasize the public education responsibility that can come with a position like that. However, as others have said - keep all your options open. You have a lot of time. There are plenty of ways to integrate animals into your life without doing vet med. It's a rough career emotionally and financially.

 

[PandaEnthusiast]

Hi all!

I've gotten a lot of questions answered just by poking around the forums (yay, search function), but I was hoping to get some advice specifically regarding my situation.

I'm a high school junior with a GPA of 3.9 unweighted, currently taking 2 AP classes (my school offers only about 6).

In terms of experience, I've been volunteering for a wildlife clinic and I've got 300+ hours of medical, but not vet-observed, experience from it. I also have about 200 hours volunteering for a small animal clinic. I'm not sure if it counts for anything since I'm not directly observed by a vet and mostly help the technicians. It was intended to be a shadowing-type position, but I ended up doing a lot of cleanup/stocking/some observation. I was a bit disappointed about that since I've heard a lot of people build great relationships with the vets they shadow.

I also have a paid job at a pet store, which boards some exotic animals and involves mostly customer service/answering a lot of questions about people's pets at home. I've learned a lot about basic husbandry/nutrition, but I'm not confident that it counts as animal experience. If nothing else, it's made me more knowledgeable and will be a good addition to my resume.

Last summer, I did a total of 3 weeks of summer programs at 2 different vet schools (one of which was in Europe). It involved shadowing and lectures. I'm not sure if this can be counted towards experience.

Next summer, I plan to look for a job as a vet assistant or apply for an internship.

My biggest questions are:

Do my volunteer/work experiences count toward animal/vet experience?
Does it matter where I go for my undergrad degree?
Am I on the right track, or should I be focusing my efforts in other ways?

Sorry, this got a bit lengthy! Thank you for any advice and for reading through that big block of text.

The VMCAS has places to put experience besides animal and veterinary experience; I think your job and the hours at the wildlife center! It is great that you already have done so much.
Also, choose an undergraduate school that will make you happy. I did not go to a school with a pre-veterinary program, but it gave me so many opportunities and has made me so happy. Even so, I have gotten seven interview invites and two acceptances already, so it more matters how you take advantage of what your school has.

Make sure to take time for yourself, too! Join clubs that you think are fun, pursue hobbies, do intramural sports, hang out with friends. It is so important.

Hope this helped a bit!

 

[Polocrosse2017]

All of what everyone has said, plus if your ACT or SAT grades are high look into early admission programs. Purdue, Mississippi State, and Kansas State and a few others have these. I'm in one at Kansas State and it takes a year off my undergrad, has relieved tons of pressure for me and I am having a blast at college. I'm president of my fraternity this year and have had some really good summer jobs. 1 1/2 more years til vet school and I will be starting relaxed, no debt, and not overwhelmed. That is BIG. I was a vet assistant my last year in high school and volunteered at a hospice. They loved that I was working with people in difficult situations. Vet med is as much about people as animals. Other than getting hours in have fun.

 

[Ar7iem]

Thank you so much to everyone who replied!

I don't mean to gravedig my own old post, but I didn't see these all until now. Your replies were very thoughtful and sweet, and it's good to hear from people who had a similar experience.

To me, vet med and working in a pet shop are fun, but to be honest, I feel absolutely happiest working in wildlife rehab. I can't think of anything I enjoy doing more. I think being a vet would open a lot of doors for that, and I may be a bit young to be so proactively pursuing a distant future, but it's exciting and extremely rewarding to me. I feel at my best when I do community service, especially when my volunteering involves educating the public.

I will definitely take into account all the advice I received and (while I didn't list them) I do many extracurriculars that aren't related to being a vet. As always, I will keep all options open, but I love what I'm doing and hope to continue it through college. Thank you for all the support and comments! 🙂