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I'm getting really nervous looking through everything now and knowing that even though I really want to be a vet, science is not my strongest subject... will I survive veterinary school?
How Good Do I Actually Have to be at Science to survive?
- Thread starter sewak
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I think that surviving your per-requisites should be first and foremost on your mind. Not only do you have to survive them, but you have to THRIVE in them to get the grades needed.
Most schools require at least 2 semesters of general chemistry, 1 of organic chemistry, 1 of biochem. Multiple biology courses, micro-biology, physiology, nutrition. Physics too.
Some schools require more.
I don't mean to crush any dreams, but science is a very critical part of getting into vet school. : /
Most schools require at least 2 semesters of general chemistry, 1 of organic chemistry, 1 of biochem. Multiple biology courses, micro-biology, physiology, nutrition. Physics too.
Some schools require more.
I don't mean to crush any dreams, but science is a very critical part of getting into vet school. : /
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Really, 172 views and no replies....
Alright, I'll bite.
Yes, you need to be good at science to be a successful applicant, a successful vet student, and actual veterinarian. You don't have to be a genius, I'm certainly not, but you need to understand and do well in undergrad science courses-especially biology and chemistry. Vet school at my school is 20+ credit hours per semester of nearly entirely science courses, for 3 years. We must have a 2.5 GPA in order to get into the clinical year.
This could be interesting...
(I've always wanted to use that!)
EDIT-Darn, someone beat me to it. For the record, there were no replies when I started typing.
Alright, I'll bite.
Yes, you need to be good at science to be a successful applicant, a successful vet student, and actual veterinarian. You don't have to be a genius, I'm certainly not, but you need to understand and do well in undergrad science courses-especially biology and chemistry. Vet school at my school is 20+ credit hours per semester of nearly entirely science courses, for 3 years. We must have a 2.5 GPA in order to get into the clinical year.
This could be interesting...
(I've always wanted to use that!)EDIT-Darn, someone beat me to it. For the record, there were no replies when I started typing.
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I won't say it can't be done but it will be a struggle academically if you find science difficult. Especially because you will be expected to pick up concepts very quickly in vet school.
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This is kind of an odd question on its face... "how good do I have to be at science to do well in science"?
You have to do well. You need good grades in your pre-req classes (Bio, chem, organic chem, physics, etc.) in order to get into vet school and then of course your vet school classes will be more science. Medicine falls under science, no? 😛 I will say that before I began my pre-req's I hadn't taken a science course since 11th grade chemistry (which I did not enjoy) and I did really well in college science classes. I came from a humanities background and did not find the transition to the sciences too traumatic. Everyone is different though and you have to be willing to put the time in that your clases require. I spent more time studying for my pre-req classes than I ever did in any English or History class. I suggest taking a few of the pre-req classes and seeing how you do in them.
You have to do well. You need good grades in your pre-req classes (Bio, chem, organic chem, physics, etc.) in order to get into vet school and then of course your vet school classes will be more science. Medicine falls under science, no? 😛 I will say that before I began my pre-req's I hadn't taken a science course since 11th grade chemistry (which I did not enjoy) and I did really well in college science classes. I came from a humanities background and did not find the transition to the sciences too traumatic. Everyone is different though and you have to be willing to put the time in that your clases require. I spent more time studying for my pre-req classes than I ever did in any English or History class. I suggest taking a few of the pre-req classes and seeing how you do in them.
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Medicine: the applied science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
You must work hard and do well in science, from freshman year of undergrad, until the day you retire as a DVM.
You must work hard and do well in science, from freshman year of undergrad, until the day you retire as a DVM.
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Why do you even want to be a vet? It is practicing medicine which is science. Maybe you are better suited to being a technician or fostering puppies and kittens.
I am probably doing you a favor by saying with this attitude you should seek a different career.
If you really want to be a vet you have to make science your best subject...otherwise don't bother.
I am probably doing you a favor by saying with this attitude you should seek a different career.
If you really want to be a vet you have to make science your best subject...otherwise don't bother.
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sewak, where are you in your education, and what do you mean by "science is not your best subject"?
If you're a freshman in high school or something, I would say that you don't know yet if you are good at any of the sciences (unless you are in very unusual circumstances). Even if you're heading to college this fall, I'm guessing you probably haven't taken many hard-core science classes. See how you do in the introductory classes in college before you make judgements about your abilities. Work hard and use tutoring resources, TA's, and office hours to help you along.
Also, saying "I'm not good at science" is like saying "I'm not good at humanities." It's way too broad a statement to be useful for people like us who don't know you. Do you mean you haven't liked every science class you've ever taken? What were those? Do you mean you have a difficult time thinking analytically? That you dislike doing math and it makes you discouraged that math shows up in all the sciences sooner or later? If you give us more details, we may be able to better answer your question and suggest resources for you.
And I agree, if you think you don't like/aren't good at science, why do you want to be a vet? I suggest you find a shadowing opportunity as soon as possible, to give you a better idea of what being a vet actually entails on a day-to-day basis. If you're under 18 and can't find a vet who will let you shadow, as happened to me, see if you can find a vet willing to talk to you for even just half an hour about what it takes to become a vet and to work as a vet. If you have a school project about careers or reporting, see if you can set up an interview through your school.
If you're a freshman in high school or something, I would say that you don't know yet if you are good at any of the sciences (unless you are in very unusual circumstances). Even if you're heading to college this fall, I'm guessing you probably haven't taken many hard-core science classes. See how you do in the introductory classes in college before you make judgements about your abilities. Work hard and use tutoring resources, TA's, and office hours to help you along.
Also, saying "I'm not good at science" is like saying "I'm not good at humanities." It's way too broad a statement to be useful for people like us who don't know you. Do you mean you haven't liked every science class you've ever taken? What were those? Do you mean you have a difficult time thinking analytically? That you dislike doing math and it makes you discouraged that math shows up in all the sciences sooner or later? If you give us more details, we may be able to better answer your question and suggest resources for you.
And I agree, if you think you don't like/aren't good at science, why do you want to be a vet? I suggest you find a shadowing opportunity as soon as possible, to give you a better idea of what being a vet actually entails on a day-to-day basis. If you're under 18 and can't find a vet who will let you shadow, as happened to me, see if you can find a vet willing to talk to you for even just half an hour about what it takes to become a vet and to work as a vet. If you have a school project about careers or reporting, see if you can set up an interview through your school.
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To start with, you should not be looking to "survive" vet school, you should want to be successful in vet school and in your possible career in veterinary medicine.
And I strongly agree with what the others said; you are pursuing a career in medicine, which is science, so you need to be ok with that. I believe that if you imply on any applications or in any interviews that you want to go to vet school because you love animals, you will leave a lot of people wondering if you actually want to be a doctor.
However, I will also tell you that science is not my best subject. I was an English major in undergrad, and humanities courses came much more naturally to me. I had to work much harder in my science classes than in my other classes, and for certain classes I worked with the professors for extra help, or with tutors. But even though I struggled to some degree in those classes, I found the material very interesting and that is what encouraged to continue pursuing this career path. So if you are saying you need to work harder in science classes, I think that is fine as long as you continue to work harder in those classes. If you are saying that you dislike the classes and the material, and you consistently do poorly in the classes, that might be a problem.
And I strongly agree with what the others said; you are pursuing a career in medicine, which is science, so you need to be ok with that. I believe that if you imply on any applications or in any interviews that you want to go to vet school because you love animals, you will leave a lot of people wondering if you actually want to be a doctor.
However, I will also tell you that science is not my best subject. I was an English major in undergrad, and humanities courses came much more naturally to me. I had to work much harder in my science classes than in my other classes, and for certain classes I worked with the professors for extra help, or with tutors. But even though I struggled to some degree in those classes, I found the material very interesting and that is what encouraged to continue pursuing this career path. So if you are saying you need to work harder in science classes, I think that is fine as long as you continue to work harder in those classes. If you are saying that you dislike the classes and the material, and you consistently do poorly in the classes, that might be a problem.
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I'll go ahead point out that 'science' is a bit vague... I sucked a bit at organic chemistry and physics, but quite liked microbiology and biochem... I'm not sure it's possible to treat science as a singular thing. And if you really do stink at ALL science, from cell phys to general physiology to physics to genetics to chemistry... I dunno, there is just gonna be more of that in vet school. You probably would hate it.
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As others have said, I think that it depends on what aspect of science is difficult for you. I, for example, am not oh so great at math, so the more "mathy bits" of science become a challenge. BUT I LOVE SCIENCE! If you don't love science, then you really should go over the reasons that you'd like to be a veterinarian. I'll just reiterate: medicine=science.
Just because you aren't good at something doesn't mean that you can't be. I've learned that its much harder, though, if you don't like it.
I wish you luck in your studies, whatever they may be. Some of these responses may seem a bit forward, but even us Internet strangers don't want you spending time and effort on something that isn't right for you.
Just because you aren't good at something doesn't mean that you can't be. I've learned that its much harder, though, if you don't like it.
I wish you luck in your studies, whatever they may be. Some of these responses may seem a bit forward, but even us Internet strangers don't want you spending time and effort on something that isn't right for you.
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Here's the thing that I don't quite understand, why go into vet med if you don't love science? I guess I'm assuming you don't since you say it's not a strong subject for you. But really, why would you want to go into medicine? I'm a firm believer that vet med doesn't have a lot to do with "saving" animals. It has to do with science, medicine, client communication and decision making. Sometimes those things come together to save animals, but I don't think the profession is entirely about that.
Even if you're just not good at learning science, but still enjoy it, your learning doesn't stop with vet school. How are you going to digest the details of new treatment plans, medications, etc if you aren't good at science? How are you going to read veterinary journals and understand the science behind the articles?
Yes, there are some science subjects that I didn't excel at and didn't really enjoy, but I still LOVE science and it's something I am good at. I think the constant struggle alone if I didn't enjoy/excel at science would be enough to deter me. Science isn't just going to go away in this field. You are going to have to deal with it every single day.
Even if you're just not good at learning science, but still enjoy it, your learning doesn't stop with vet school. How are you going to digest the details of new treatment plans, medications, etc if you aren't good at science? How are you going to read veterinary journals and understand the science behind the articles?
Yes, there are some science subjects that I didn't excel at and didn't really enjoy, but I still LOVE science and it's something I am good at. I think the constant struggle alone if I didn't enjoy/excel at science would be enough to deter me. Science isn't just going to go away in this field. You are going to have to deal with it every single day.
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I agree with what others have said - we need more information to give you a more relevant answer.
If you simply don't like science then no, you will not survive vet school. I think others have already covered that one pretty thoroughly.
If you like science and aren't doing well in your classes because you're struggling to understand the concepts, that's another issue entirely. I definitely had some problems in my science classes during my first couple years of college, mostly because I wasn't studying effectively. Once I changed my study habits and found techniques that worked well for me personally, rather than just following along with what my classmates were doing, my grades improved dramatically. Learning to manage my time well also made a huge difference in my studying. If you have a similar problem, ask your professors for extra help or see if your school has an academic counselor who can help you develop better study habits. As long as your motivated to work hard in your science courses, the fact that you're currently struggling does not necessarily mean you won't survive vet school. That problem can be fixed.
If you like science in general but can't stand science classes, that is also a problem. Vet school is almost entirely composed of extremely rigorous science classes. If you don't like science classes at whatever level you're at now, you will probably hate them in vet school. Granted, the upper-level science courses are usually much more interesting and you may like those better. But you have to have an understanding of the basics (biology, chemistry, physics, etc) in order to get to those upper-levels. Being a vet is about a lot more than just playing with puppies and kittens. The entire profession revolves around science.
If you can give us more information on what your issues with science are, we can give better responses.
If you simply don't like science then no, you will not survive vet school. I think others have already covered that one pretty thoroughly.
If you like science and aren't doing well in your classes because you're struggling to understand the concepts, that's another issue entirely. I definitely had some problems in my science classes during my first couple years of college, mostly because I wasn't studying effectively. Once I changed my study habits and found techniques that worked well for me personally, rather than just following along with what my classmates were doing, my grades improved dramatically. Learning to manage my time well also made a huge difference in my studying. If you have a similar problem, ask your professors for extra help or see if your school has an academic counselor who can help you develop better study habits. As long as your motivated to work hard in your science courses, the fact that you're currently struggling does not necessarily mean you won't survive vet school. That problem can be fixed.
If you like science in general but can't stand science classes, that is also a problem. Vet school is almost entirely composed of extremely rigorous science classes. If you don't like science classes at whatever level you're at now, you will probably hate them in vet school. Granted, the upper-level science courses are usually much more interesting and you may like those better. But you have to have an understanding of the basics (biology, chemistry, physics, etc) in order to get to those upper-levels. Being a vet is about a lot more than just playing with puppies and kittens. The entire profession revolves around science.
If you can give us more information on what your issues with science are, we can give better responses.
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I echo everyone else's input re:science being the basis of medicine.
However, what I found to be the case in my pre-requisite courses was not how much I liked the material or how good I was at it (I did not like it and I wasn't good at it) but how hard I was willing to work to make myself do well in those classes. Because you can hate organic chemistry and physics and all that and still succeed. It's your work ethic that really matters if you want to go to vet school.
But if you don't like the "life sciences" like physiology and such (which are all based in chemistry, when it comes down to it), I would ask yourself why you want to be a veterinarian and what other careers might satisfy the non-science answers.
However, what I found to be the case in my pre-requisite courses was not how much I liked the material or how good I was at it (I did not like it and I wasn't good at it) but how hard I was willing to work to make myself do well in those classes. Because you can hate organic chemistry and physics and all that and still succeed. It's your work ethic that really matters if you want to go to vet school.
But if you don't like the "life sciences" like physiology and such (which are all based in chemistry, when it comes down to it), I would ask yourself why you want to be a veterinarian and what other careers might satisfy the non-science answers.
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Okay, I appreciate the responses. I mean I never said I didn't like science or that I hated it or that I just wanted to be a vet because I love animals. I'm in the midst of submitting my applications right now, and I've had many years of shadowing and interning with different vets and scientists. I know what the job entails. I was just asking because I was getting nervous while looking at curricula at different vet schools, because science does not come as easily to me as the humanities do. I am of course willing to work, and I have had to work much harder than most of my peers in the sciences classes in college to get the same grades, and was just wondering if you had to be a person to whom science comes naturally to really be successful, or if someone like me, to whom it does not come naturally, but who really does want this and will work for it, will be able to succeed as well.
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Nobody meant to offend you, we just had know idea about your background, and too many people have very skewed ideas about vet med. It sounds to me like you're sure of what you want, and I would say: "where there is a will, there is a way!"
Good luck, sewak, and welcome!
Good luck, sewak, and welcome!
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Most science concepts in vet school are easier to understand than those in undergrad. There are a couple things like acid/base that tend to throw people, but there are very few things that are truly difficult to understand. There is just so very much information to organize in your head and memorize, which is really a different part of your brain than what makes you able to understand organic chemistry or physics.
I found that as vet school went on, things got generally more interesting as we moved from the basics into the real medicine. Now that I am in clinics, almost everything is interesting (exception: equine limbs!) and the new challenge is teaching my brain to think logically through a case - which I think requires a third part of your brain and also just repetition and time.
I found that as vet school went on, things got generally more interesting as we moved from the basics into the real medicine. Now that I am in clinics, almost everything is interesting (exception: equine limbs!) and the new challenge is teaching my brain to think logically through a case - which I think requires a third part of your brain and also just repetition and time.
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Thank guys!! I didn't mean to sound offended, sorry about that.. internet forums. I appreciate all of the responses, really. And great, thanks bunnity, that makes me feel better... that sounds exciting, something to look forward to!
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that definitely sounds a lot different than your original post.
In that case, as bunnity alluded, the key to success in vet school is memorization ability and doggedness.
If you have gotten this far, then as long as your persistent and can memorize a sh*tstorm of info, you will be fine.
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..and if I can't memorize a sh*tstorm of info, am I screwed?
I can't... and I have been taking it in the rear all the time...
So pretty much.
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..and if I can't memorize a sh*tstorm of info, am I screwed?
Have you tried a sh*tton of different techniques to memorize things? If you have and none work, well, then, you might be screwed (I don't know, I'm not in vet school yet). If you haven't, experiment to see if any work for you! I use mnemonics, songs, and poems as memory aids for facts and terms, and for lists/anything that can be put in paragraph form/cycles, I find that reading out loud to myself and/or reading while listening to a recording of me or someone else saying the exact thing on the paper works really, really well. Another thing for facts that just won't stick with me is to look it up constantly, every time I think of it.
I think there's a thread from a few months ago about tricks for memorizing things, too.
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..and if I can't memorize a sh*tstorm of info, am I screwed?
I think if you are able to a) keep calm and b) work your ass off, you will be able to condition your brain to do what it needs to do for school. I really think of it as conditioning just like body builders do... we are brain builders.
I can tell the difference at the beginning of the semester where absorbing information seems really cumbersome and within a couple weeks it is much more natural. Now that I am in clinics if I have to listen to an occasional lecture it feels really difficult again because I've adjusted away from that type of brain work.
