How old is everyone? Non-trads?

[Armymutt25A]

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LOL. I have to agree with that. But it's trade offs, not negatives. I do believe many schools have some appreciation for experience, particularly military. We have quite a few former military folks in our school (all former military, going into military, and spouses of military.)

Hopefully they appreciate it enough to tell me to show up in Aug. I think school will be less stressful than what I'm dealing with right now. At least no one will be yelling at me because something well out of my boss's boss's boss's control isn't being done. I also won't have to teach people 10-years my junior (i.e. grew up with computers in school) how to use a computer. Surprised I'm not bald yet. Of course, I'm going to have to focus on my choice of words for casual conversation. Cultural shifts can be tough that way.

 

[elkk]

I say this cautiously, but I'm 19. I'll be 20 by the time vet school roles around though! This is assuming they'll actually accept someone this young.

 

[lnlong]

I'm 26 - if I make it in this application cycle, I'll graduate the summer before my 31st birthday. I made some bad, well, not bad, just misguided choices in undergrad. I always was interested in medicine, I just just too afraid of failure to take the leap and do it. So I majored in English Lit - because I knew I couldn't fail at that. I finished my undergrad and got halfway through my masters (in English as well) before I looked up and realized - I didn't want to publish articles, or go to conferences. Hell, I couldn't even pick a focus area!
So, I changed my life - I started taking science courses, I started volunteering at spay and neuter clinics - and I love it! I'm so glad I changed my mind, but I'm also so glad that I got to see what a "bad fit" feels like.

I have to agree with Lunajett - there is something to be said for being a grown-up, having a mortgage, and a car payment, and other bills, and having to manage yourself, and school, and work (because capitalone doesn't care if I need to make good grades - I pay them or I lose my car), and relationships etc. I know myself better now, I understand myself better and I try very hard to remind myself that I am a good candidate - despite having an English degree with a minor in French.

I understand your worry that an adcom won't see those things and will only focus on your GPA - I worry about that a lot. I can only hope that they will look at me as a person - and not as a number between 2 and 4. I also have days when I look at friends I graduated undergrad with - friends who have full time "real" jobs, and vacation days, and real incomes - and I feel like a complete and utter failure - like I'm just playing at this whole vet thing and should stop wasting everyone's time and get a job... But deep down I know that's not the case, and that this is where I need to be.

Besides...I need to look a little older before I bear the title "Doctor" - I still get carded for smokes!!!

 

[MSUspartan]

I say this cautiously, but I'm 19. I'll be 20 by the time vet school roles around though! This is assuming they'll actually accept someone this young.

They will!!! I got accepted just after I turned 20 and am almost done with my first semester here at Michigan State (which, since your location says East Lansing, is where I assume you are applying/referring to).

Feel free to PM me with questions! It's definitely a unique scenario that not many people can relate to being the only underage person in my class

 

[fromthebox]

It's a little weird because I'm in such a different place in life than a lot of my friends (still in the student mentality, taking out loans instead of having an income, stressing about homework and tests, no idea where I'll be living next year).

I'll be 24 this February (I'm hoping for an interview at Davis for a present.) To be honest I feel young. I have friends back home who are married with kids and careers, and here I am still refusing to return home like a petulant child. I worry that I've missed things by focusing on my goal, but I'm also really afraid of that much responsibility. Right now, all I can manage is to take care of me.

I guess I'm a mix of trad and non-trad. I did a BS in Microbio right out of high school, finished in four but spent all four working at the police department to pay for the degree. It makes me feel like I've had college and a career. My co-workers don't get why I don't want to be a cop, and my friends don't get why I work for the PD rather than at a clinic.

 

[Armymutt25A]

I'll be 24 this February (I'm hoping for an interview at Davis for a present.) To be honest I feel young. I have friends back home who are married with kids and careers, and here I am still refusing to return home like a petulant child. I worry that I've missed things by focusing on my goal, but I'm also really afraid of that much responsibility. Right now, all I can manage is to take care of me.

I guess I'm a mix of trad and non-trad. I did a BS in Microbio right out of high school, finished in four but spent all four working at the police department to pay for the degree. It makes me feel like I've had college and a career. My co-workers don't get why I don't want to be a cop, and my friends don't get why I work for the PD rather than at a clinic.

I learned a long time ago to not worry about your position compared to everyone else. I left school with a BS in Ani Sci and went to work for a computer company as a manager, only to find out that they had fired all of the techies. I spent 3 miserable months trying to grow a business with no real support in a field that was foreign to me. I then uprooted, moved back to Indiana and got a job at the only place I was familiar with - Sam's Club. Made pizzas for almost a year, then moved to the tire shop. Got hired at the county jail as a CO, worked there for about 1.5 years. Enlisted in the Army as an Infantryman on 22 Aug 01. Spent a few years running around the woods and went to OCS. Now I am the same rank as people 8 years my junior and say "yes, sir" to people who graduated the same year as me. Had I stayed on the same path they did, I wouldn't have had the adventures I've had, and wouldn't be able to tell so many stories over a beer. People with a straight line career are often pretty boring and unimaginative. (no offense to the straight line path folks - and what are you doing reading this non-trad thread for anyway?)

 

[sumstorm]

, moved back to Indiana and got a job at the only place I was familiar with -

Hmmm...if you were a Hoosier, we'll really have to go diving this summer. I grew up on a farm in Indiana, and my journey to vet school was definitly round about, but I like it that way. As you mentioned, better stories.

 

[Armymutt25A]

Hmmm...if you were a Hoosier, we'll really have to go diving this summer. I grew up on a farm in Indiana, and my journey to vet school was definitly round about, but I like it that way. As you mentioned, better stories.

I'm a Boilermaker. Friends don't let friends wear red and white. Even my dog is gold and black (golden retriever).

 

[TomTheK9Fixr]

Hello,

I'm 29, from Ohio. Got my B.S. in Bio and an M.A. in Speech-Pathology. I applied to two schools back in 2008, got accepted to one but turned it down due to personal reasons (there was this girl, the school was far away, engagement, yadi yadi yada). My plan B was Speech Path conveniently at a university in my hometown. The program cost me zero in tuition and I actually got paid too. So, I did it... Fast forward to now, I am back pursing my passion. I have worked as a non-certified tech for the past 9 years in a small animal specialty clinic. Last time I checked, I've got 189 credits to my name lol! Zero in student loans though:Oh how that will change if I get in lol.

Good luck to everyone

 

[bonaparte]

I say this cautiously, but I'm 19. I'll be 20 by the time vet school roles around though! This is assuming they'll actually accept someone this young.

Me too! 🙂 What's your backstory? I'm curious to find out more about a fellow youngster. Teehee. Feel free to PM me.

 

[spicykimchi]

I'm 25 and still have 35 credits worth of classes I need to take, maybe more.

 

[jjl72]

I understand your worry that an adcom won't see those things and will only focus on your GPA - I worry about that a lot. I can only hope that they will look at me as a person - and not as a number between 2 and 4. I also have days when I look at friends I graduated undergrad with - friends who have full time "real" jobs, and vacation days, and real incomes - and I feel like a complete and utter failure - like I'm just playing at this whole vet thing and should stop wasting everyone's time and get a job... But deep down I know that's not the case, and that this is where I need to be.

ahh...even though i've got 3 years on you, you pretty much summed up exactly where i'm at in life as well! i'm graduating next week with a second bachelor's degree (in bio. first was in history) i applied this cycle and if i'm lucky enough to get in, i'll be 30 by the time vet school starts.

all of my friends have finished their educations and established themselves in their careers while i'm just barely getting started. yes, there are definitely days when i feel like a craptastic failure. but at the end of the day, i'm okay with the time and effort i've put into pursuing my dream. and i've really never been happier (minus the current stress of waiting to hear back from adcoms).

btw, i too look young for my age. people never believe me when i tell them my age (guess that's what being a short and skinny asian will do to ya!). but i have no doubt that by the time i finish vet school, the wear and tear of it will have made me look old enough to be taken seriously by my colleagues and clients! 😛

 

[sumstorm]

btw, i too look young for my age. people never believe me when i tell them my age (guess that's what being a short and skinny asian will do to ya!). but i have no doubt that by the time i finish vet school, the wear and tear of it will have made me look old enough to be taken seriously by my colleagues and clients! 😛

LOL. Good luck with that; if I'm wearing school logo wear, I am even more likely to get carded. I am carded about ~50% in business casual attire, and ~80% in logo wear. I do not consider myself young looking, but several of my professors have asked me my age in the middle of a conversation because they are convinced that I am in my early 20's, and what I am talking about (retirement investments, previous work experience, folks in the zoo world, etc) doesn't jive with the age the assumed. And I'm definitly not skinny or asian! Oneida mixed with french/german canadian.

 

[rhinocerotidae]

I'm 24 and won't be applying till I'm 26. If I don't get in first try then I probably won't be re-applying until i'm 28… That's the plan as of now anyway!

 

[jetikarabbit]

So, I really don't feel 27 i think Im 23. Well anyway Ive been an xray tech for 5 years, love my job but always felt i needed more. Bought a new barrel horse last year, a true athlete, he got in some barbed wire after I had him 6 weeks. Severed tendon, huge laceration to the anterior hock. His rehabilitation was one the most rewarding experiences of my life. I never had the confidence when i was young to attempt vet school. Now I have it and more.

 

[VeganChick]

I'm 40 and in my second year of vet school. Better late than never! 😀

 

[twelvetigers]

Yay! I hope all is going well for you in Massachusetts!

 

[breenie]

and you will be taken more seriously and granted more assumed respect as a clinician in the real world if you at least look old enough to drink and shave.

This sort of sentiment frustrates me. I'm not faulting you for saying it-- you're representing how a lot of people think/feel. I'm 20 years old, and I'm applying this cycle. I'd be matriculating as a 21 year old, and graduating at 25. I'm a little younger than the norm, and to top it off, I look 16 years old. I'm not kidding. I've got a round baby face, and farmers have asked if I'm the vet's granddaughter before (to both of our frustrations!).

I try not to get a chip on my shoulder about it, but it can be frustrating trying to get people to take you seriously when the fat in your cheeks goes farther than the value of your work to define people's perceptions...

So, non-trads, it's not all bad! Age is a good thing. 🙂

 

[fromthebox]

I'm 20 years old, and I'm applying this cycle. I'd be matriculating as a 21 year old, and graduating at 25.

Dude, you rock. No way was I mature enough to handle VMCAS let alone matriculate at 21. The two years since then have made me get my butt in gear, so good on you for being young. As to looks, I've looked the same since I was 16 (seriously, people think my HS-senior photos were college-senior), but at 16 everyone thought I was 20, and now they think I'm 27. I find that how old you are perceived to be varies based on the maturity of the speaker and how articulate they are.

Of course it also varies based on who is looking. I rode with my cousin's husband on farm calls and all of his farmer clients treated me like I was his kid. I suspect farmers either have a soft spot for young people, or they think they're flattering you. 😀

 

[animals2x2]

I am 44 years young and I still play spotlight with the kids (hide and seek outside at night with a flashlight, usually when we go camping) and jailbreak, my son is 27 and my grandson is 6. If I am accepted this cycle , I will be 49 when I graduate.

 

[ckd816]

This sort of sentiment frustrates me. I'm not faulting you for saying it-- you're representing how a lot of people think/feel. I'm 20 years old, and I'm applying this cycle. I'd be matriculating as a 21 year old, and graduating at 25. I'm a little younger than the norm, and to top it off, I look 16 years old. I'm not kidding. I've got a round baby face, and farmers have asked if I'm the vet's granddaughter before (to both of our frustrations!).

I try not to get a chip on my shoulder about it, but it can be frustrating trying to get people to take you seriously when the fat in your cheeks goes farther than the value of your work to define people's perceptions...

So, non-trads, it's not all bad! Age is a good thing. 🙂

SAME HERE!! I'm 22, but I look about 15. It's super annoying to be mature for your age then only to be treated as much younger than you actually are.

Anyhow, I will turn 23 at the beginning of the school year if I get in this cycle and will be 26 when I graduate. I took a year off after graduating from undergrad to get more experience and apply... I simply could not imagine going straight from undergrad to vet school. I've already learned so much in my time off, so you non-trads must be full of great experiences! You guys rule. 😀

 

[Gamechanger]

im 28 and jut finished my first semester of undergrad. sucks to be just starting but i can defiinitly appreciate education now and i will do better because of that. i work full time and did 12 hours this fall, gonna do 9 in spring... they will add up eventually

 

[Tator17]

im 28 and jut finished my first semester of undergrad. sucks to be just starting but i can defiinitly appreciate education now and i will do better because of that. i work full time and did 12 hours this fall, gonna do 9 in spring... they will add up eventually

Don't give up! I was 29 when I started taking my pre-reqs and I worked 40 hours/week the entire time. I took between 5-10 hours every semester and they DO add up. I applied this cycle, and if I get in I'll start when I'm 33. Just stick with it - time will pass and you'll achieve your goal 🙂

 

[twelvetigers]

Yep, I'm definitely getting old enough to shave. The moustache is starting to come in nicely now!

I LOL'd. 🙂

I'm 25, ladies and gents, and feeling older by the day. My nephews are starting to look at me like I'm a space alien whenever I mention things from when I was in high school, so I think it's begun.

 

[VeganChick]

I am 44 years young and I still play spotlight with the kids (hide and seek outside at night with a flashlight, usually when we go camping) and jailbreak, my son is 27 and my grandson is 6. If I am accepted this cycle , I will be 49 when I graduate.

I am HUGELY cheering for you! Where are you applying?

 

[jsp132]

I thought i was a definate strange person

im 34 just finished up my AA in biology at my cc and planning to transfer to a 4 year

realizing though I need to raise my 3.0 gpa 🙁 with what it sounds like the fun courses yet to come

Ill be done.......eventually 😴 this has been a dream of mine

good luck to everyone else

 

[animals2x2]

I am HUGELY cheering for you! Where are you applying?

Thank you that means a lot. VMRCVM my IS, Penn, Auburn, Perdue, Missouri, Iowa, and Mississippi. I haven't gotten any interview invites yet but the good news is that I haven't gotten any rejections yet either.

 

[LivestockDoc]

Thank you that means a lot. VMRCVM my IS, Penn, Auburn, Perdue, Missouri, Iowa, and Mississippi. I haven't gotten any interview invites yet but the good news is that I haven't gotten any rejections yet either.

Well, you've sure got my vote, animals! I'll be 44 on dec 29th, and I just got my first acceptance today (still waitin to hear from 5 others).

 

[Quackedup]

Congrats! I'm your age and will be applying next round...

 

[BHLegend]

My dad is a vet and he didn't become one until he was in his 30's. One time I was complaining to him that I'd be "so old" once I became a vet. He pointed out that in 5 years I'll be 31 either way. I can either be a 31 year old vet, or a 31 year old something else - might as well go for it now to not look back when I'm 31 and say "gee, I really should have done that".
Courage!

That's a good point! I'm 25 and will be 26 a month after I start (If I get in this time around) because I elected to get a MS in a lab that takes notoriously long... I am half way through my 3rd year of my masters program now.

But it is true, in 5 years I will be 30. I can be a vet or be unhappy not being a vet.

I do want to have kids though (and see my HS friends on facebook with their beloved babies) somewhere in there and sometimes I feel like there will never be a good time to do that. Sigh.

 

[stephano]

30.

Life isn't a race.

I'm hoping that right out of vet school my not so "baby-face" appearance will help ease clients' worries about a new grad. Hah!

hahaha this kind of hit me really hard on my head right now.... I'm 21 applied this year and I feel like I've really rushed this and I don't know how prepared I am right now... and technically if i can get into a vet school (!!!!!!!!!!!!! freaking out!!!!) I won't even be able to earn by B.S. ..... I've been taking all summer school since high school....Maybe I shouldn't worry so much about getting in or not and just try to relax and take one step at a time on my pace instead of trying to rush ahead 😛 thank you!!!!

 

[Tonkamoo]

I am 27 right now, will be 28 when I start school next fall, if someone takes me 🙂xf🙂. I'm finding it interesting that in my first career as a computer programmer I was always the youngest at my companies by a few years, and now I'm suddenly in a position where I feel old compared to the other pre-vet students.

I spent the last few years taking my pre-reqs one or two at a time while working full time, like a lot of you. I do find that I get a lot more out of my classes now that I'm more mature, dedicated to what I'm studying, and paying for everything out of pocket. That makes me grateful because I think it means that I personally will get more out vet school now, than I would have fresh out of college.

Good luck to everyone! This process is slow and nerve-wracking.

 

[nyanko]

I'm finding it interesting that in my first career as a computer programmer I was always the youngest at my companies by a few years, and now I'm suddenly in a position where I feel old compared to the other pre-vet students.

Haha, yeah, weird isn't it?

 

[Teknikscian]

28

Worked my way through college, and have been dealing with animal medicine since I was 18, right out of high school. Late to Vet game, I suppose, but I would trade my years of experience for anything!

Hopefully I get some good news! 👍

 

[Cautionary Tail]

I just turned 28, and I'll be receiving my Bachelor's (Biology) in January.

Growing up, I was always the youngest in my class, and the transition to being one of the oldest hasn't been easy. (My first attempt at college was pretty horrific. I took some time off, got my stuff together, and started over.) Sometimes, the "age thing" feels like an ever-present reminder of past failures.

People tend to assume that I'm much younger than I actually am, so I was always regarded as just another student... but I often felt somewhat out of place in the classroom because I was in such a different place than most of my classmates were.

That, and, when an underage lab partner would start talking about their horribly ill-advised and dangerous drunken exploits (not realizing they were conversing with Stealth Granny), I'd reeeeeeally have to fight the urge to go parental on them, haha.

So, yeah. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only applicant in my upper 20's. 🙂

 

[bee83]

The only disadvantage I've found to being an "older" (27) pre-vet, is that when I'm shadowing or training somewhere, people will occasionally assume that I know what I'm doing and how to do things. Of course, it only takes a simple comment or question to set things straight, but sometimes I'd like for someone just to take me by the hand and teach it to me like I'm a 12 year-old 🙂

 

[Goatherd]

Hi!
New to the forum-really wish I would've found this site during the application process!
I'm a non-trad--25 soon to be 26. Just finishing up a post-bacc in Philly and have all fingers and toes crossed for this application cycle!
Nice to meet you all! 🙂

 

[Sawyer534]

I'm 23; I have only two years down on my Animal Science degree. I have associates from a Comm. College but it was in Automotive Technology. Got done with that degree and realized that wasn't what I wanted to do. I've wanted to be a vet since I was in Middle school, but didn't think I could get through school. Decided to give it a try though, and the only thing that sucks is that only about 3 classes from my two year degree counted towards my core classes for my bachelors, I pretty much had to start all over again.

 

[jsp132]

I'm 23; I have only two years down on my Animal Science degree. I have associates from a Comm. College but it was in Automotive Technology. Got done with that degree and realized that wasn't what I wanted to do. I've wanted to be a vet since I was in Middle school, but didn't think I could get through school. Decided to give it a try though, and the only thing that sucks is that only about 3 classes from my two year degree counted towards my core classes for my bachelors, I pretty much had to start all over again.

do what you want to do......i realized after i got my BS that its not what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing

so I kinda had to start over...........🙂

 

[drwildlife]

20 years old here. Turning 21 in July. Only three more semesters (counting this coming spring) left of undergrad.

I feel young here but, it is very encouraging to see all of you still pursuing your dreams. There's so many people in this world that would just give up but, you guys are proof that hope prevails. Thank you for the encouragement!

I work with someone who is old enough to be my dad but, luckily we all see each other as equals. There comes a point in careers where age doesn't matter - it's knowledge and willing to commit to something you believe in.

 

[GreenMouse]

I'm finding it interesting that in my first career as a computer programmer I was always the youngest at my companies by a few years, and now I'm suddenly in a position where I feel old compared to the other pre-vet students.

Really similar situation to you! I'm 26 - also first career as a programmer. Realized how much I hated the workplace (still love coding) and was disheartened by almost everyone I met in corporate America hating their jobs. Always wanted to be a vet, but was also good at coding, so decided to go with the faster and cheaper option - wrong move!

Now back in school getting an second undergrad degree (Animal Science) and just applied to vet school (fingers crossed). It is definitely tough going back. However, I am so much more well-prepared. After running months-long projects worth millions of dollars getting my homework done is a cakewalk 🙂

Others have mentioned feeling left behind from their peers - and I totally can agree. Many of my friends with whom I graduated and then worked are now having babies, and I'm definitely feeling left out. Just gotta keep telling myself that there is time later for that and I'll be a happier parent if I love my job rather than being miserable.

Good luck to everyone, no matter what path you took!

 

[kitty613]

I'm 32 and still take pre-req's. Looking to apply to vet school in the next 2 years or so. Gosh, I'm old! I guess my five year plan didn't work out like I wanted when I was 23.

 

[flyhi]

You know you are a 'real' non-trad when you no longer go back to your parents home during college breaks to live in your room

 

[jsp132]

I'm 32 and still take pre-req's. Looking to apply to vet school in the next 2 years or so. Gosh, I'm old! I guess my five year plan didn't work out like I wanted when I was 23.

im your age to better late then never though still have 2 years to go on prereqs i think though

 

[anjabryn]

I am 37. Got my Bachelor's in biology back in the 90's. Started my prerequisites for vet school in the fall of 2009.

 

[Vet2Be69]

Hi Lunajet. Im 42 and will be starting my 1st year in sept., can you share your 1st year experiences? Can you compare to your fellow classmates who are much younger than us?

Thanks!

 

[jsp132]

I am 37. Got my Bachelor's in biology back in the 90's. Started my prerequisites for vet school in the fall of 2009.

did you do work in your major after you graduated?

 

[nyanko]

You know you are a 'real' non-trad when you no longer go back to your parents home during college breaks to live in your room

My mom converted my room to storage like a week after I moved out the summer I graduated from high school. 😡

But I did stay in her new house for a couple nights when I went back east last week, that doesn't count does it?

 

[anjabryn]

did you do work in your major after you graduated?

No, after graduating college I went straight into a professional program (Chiropractic). I knew it wasn't for me after a month but stayed for almost 3 semesters, not wanting to disappoint my family.
I moved back to NYC, the school was in Oregon, found a job as a waitress, and
have been working as a server ever since. Even now, since I have moved back to Oregon, I am work in a restaurant.
Over the years I have applied to many jobs in labs but every single one wants someone with experience.

 

[squirrelsrule]

SAME HERE!! I'm 22, but I look about 15. It's super annoying to be mature for your age then only to be treated as much younger than you actually are.

Anyhow, I will turn 23 at the beginning of the school year if I get in this cycle and will be 26 when I graduate. I took a year off after graduating from undergrad to get more experience and apply... I simply could not imagine going straight from undergrad to vet school. I've already learned so much in my time off, so you non-trads must be full of great experiences! You guys rule. 😀

I am 24 and look maybe 14 or 15. When I was in college someone asked me if I went to the school next door which only went up to the 4th grade! I mean I was a post secondary student and only 17 but come on.

I have been asked more than once while shadowing if I am a high schooler and I only have 33 hours under my belt so far (been asked at least 5 times, maybe closer to 10).

I am not really non-traditional, but it is so strange to be older than some or even most. I am used to being the youngest in my classes since I did post secondary option and graduated with a bachelors of science degree at the age of 18 I was youngest by far all the time. It has been strange going back to school with people younger than me. Of course, with not looking my age, no one even notices that I am older.

Everyone tried to talk me into going to vet school back when I was in college originally, but I was DONE! They would have had to tie me down to the desk and I would be screaming! I took a longer than usual break of 5 years being a wildlife rehabber and working at an electronics company (where the average age of employees is probably 40-50, so again I am way younger than almost everyone), but finally came to the realization that I want to be a vet. Now I am looking forward to school like I used to and am excited about vet school. Sometimes a break makes all the difference!