How old is everyone? Non-trads?

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I...but now vet school is actually happening (i'm 32 now). I even got greedy and chose an OOS school over my IS. (Shhh, don't tell anybody).

Yay, glad another 30+ will be joining us at KSU. I'm 43, there is one guy slightly older than me, and I think maybe 3 guys in their 30's. Strangely, though, I don't think we have any women who are north of 30, but I know a couple in their late-20's.
 
Do what I do and wait for TT to link it.....

:laugh:

I, too, found it odd when I met an applicant along the trail who considered herself non-traditional because her science degree didn't involve animals; i think she was still a senior in college, too...at some school I was referred to as a 'second career applicant,' rather than a non-trad. I think that's more apt.

As for me, I've been dreaming of becoming a vet ever since I was almost 30 and decided that 7 years of corporate america was enough (I hold a BBA with majors in Finance and Real Estate). The pre-req. road was pretty stressful and there were many moments were I thought the effort was all in vain...but now vet school is actually happening (i'm 32 now). I even got greedy and chose an OOS school over my IS. (Shhh, don't tell anybody). For those at the beginning of the road (or in the middle)...just stick with it. The worse thing that happens is you go back to your old career *shudder* and at least you can say you tried.

Oh, I know how you feel, My motivation for making it into Vet school was the thought of having to return to my old career (also ppl saying, "You'll never be able to do that.") There were many teary nights of, "What was I thinking coming back to school!!!!"

I so totally agree with you! I am so glad that I took time off after my undergraduate degree to actually have a life and travel and get married etc. I'm also happy that I'm now able to go back to all those naysayers that said I'd never go back to school and say :p

Yep

Yay, glad another 30+ will be joining us at KSU. I'm 43, there is one guy slightly older than me, and I think maybe 3 guys in their 30's. Strangely, though, I don't think we have any women who are north of 30, but I know a couple in their late-20's.

Me, me, I'm old too.....I mean over 30:smuggrin:
 
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Adding myself to the list of 30 something year olds! Glad to see I won't be alone. :rolleyes:
 
Adding myself to the list of 30 something year olds! Glad to see I won't be alone. :rolleyes:

I'm right there with you guys in the 30s. I'm just glad I won't be the only one and be the only non-20 something!
 
I'm 28. Not too old, not too young. Sometimes I do feel like I'm kinda old since I want to pursue the the whole residency/PhD route, which puts me at approx. 36ish when I finish up. That kinda sucks, but at 22 I really wasn't prepared to make this kind of commitment financially. I'm glad I went the route I did. I am so much more mature and focused these days :D:D
 
I'm right there with you guys in the 30s. I'm just glad I won't be the only one and be the only non-20 something!

Oh, definitely not. A month and a half after starting vet school I will turn 44, and I haven't yet figured out if I'm the oldest in my class. :) Some schools are heavier on the second-career folks than other schools, but wherever you go it's a cinch you won't be alone!
 
I'm 28. Not too old, not too young. Sometimes I do feel like I'm kinda old since I want to pursue the the whole residency/PhD route, which puts me at approx. 36ish when I finish up. That kinda sucks, but at 22 I really wasn't prepared to make this kind of commitment financially. I'm glad I went the route I did. I am so much more mature and focused these days :D:D

Kanariya,

This is so off topic, but I love your picture. Is that your dog?


I check this thread every once in awhile for motivation. My husband and I are 24 I am turning 25 in a little over a week. He is starting the Purdue DVM program in August. We will be delaying starting a family until after he is done which will make me 29. I'm fine with that, but feel like I get crazy person looks from people especially when a large percentage of my friends my age are already having kids/ going to start trying within one 1-2 years. I am inspired by the non-traditionals as I know how hard a decision it was for my husband and I when he decided to go back to school after he had just graduated with a Marketing degree. Literally JUST graduate on a Saturday and started classes on Wednesday.
A big way to go for everyone here!:claps:
 
I check this thread every once in awhile for motivation. My husband and I are 24 I am turning 25 in a little over a week. He is starting the Purdue DVM program in August. We will be delaying starting a family until after he is done which will make me 29. I'm fine with that, but feel like I get crazy person looks from people especially when a large percentage of my friends my age are already having kids/ going to start trying within one 1-2 years.

I totally know how you feel. One of my good friends just called me yesterday to say that they are going to start trying for a second baby. I am 30 and will be 34 when I graduate from vet school. It was definitely a tough decision, and I would be lying if I said it was easy for me and my husband to mutually come to this decision. Especially b/c there are so many outside pressures. We have been together for 10yrs and married for 5. People constantly ask why we don't have kids yet, and when are we going to start. Plus just about ALL of our couple friends have children now. I just keep telling people that I have to make sure I am in a good place with myself before bringing a child into this world, otherwise it is not fair to the child. Things will work out as they should!
 
I totally know how you feel. One of my good friends just called me yesterday to say that they are going to start trying for a second baby. I am 30 and will be 34 when I graduate from vet school. It was definitely a tough decision, and I would be lying if I said it was easy for me and my husband to mutually come to this decision. Especially b/c there are so many outside pressures. We have been together for 10yrs and married for 5. People constantly ask why we don't have kids yet, and when are we going to start. Plus just about ALL of our couple friends have children now. I just keep telling people that I have to make sure I am in a good place with myself before bringing a child into this world, otherwise it is not fair to the child. Things will work out as they should!

It also doesn't help that after you have been married for about a year you get bombarded with baby crap online and in the mail. I have just started marking all facebook ads about babies as offensive in hopes they will eventually go away.:laugh: Just because we have been married for 3 years does not mean we need kids yet.

I had lunch with some friends today. One of them nannys and had to bring a kid with her. The other girls were all googly eyed at the kid and talking about their plans to start families, but when I see kids I just think about how stressful it would be having to support me, my husband, and a baby while racking up $100k+ in debt. Getting huge and having to work through it with a husband that will always be busy with studying and school stuff does not sound fun to me. My realistic side is overpowering any cuteness effects babies have.

If someone in vet school just can't wait to have kids I am sure that is worth it for them and that is great. I have the utmost respect for the ones that make it work. Especially if the woman is the one in school. It's just not something I think I want to do.

My cousin had her first baby at 39 and will have her second when she is 40. She even had her first at home with no complications or anything. There is still plenty of time for kids. Maybe I will get baby fever in a couple years and we will decide we don't want to wait, but that will be our decision not pressured on us by friends, family, facebook ads, and invites for baby registries. Hang in there Packen you still have time to have a family after you make your dream of becoming a vet come true, that is IF you want to wait.
 
If someone in vet school just can't wait to have kids I am sure that is worth it for them and that is great. I have the utmost respect for the ones that make it work. Especially if the woman is the one in school. It's just not something I think I want to do.

Having a baby in late 3rd or 4th year is not all that bad. Of course it is most likely more stressful than having a baby under normal circumstances, but in all reality 4th year wouldn't be the worst time to have a child, as far as vet school goes.
 
Having a baby in late 3rd or 4th year is not all that bad. Of course it is most likely more stressful than having a baby under normal circumstances, but in all reality 4th year wouldn't be the worst time to have a child, as far as vet school goes.

I would have to disagree with you there. Especially if you had your large animal/equine and radiology rotations during your pregnancy. Two things would happen - either you'd get to pass but not be able to get the as much of the hands on part or you would have to miss so much that would need to be made up while everyone else (like your 4th year friends) is moving away. And in case you are thinking not having as much experience doesn't seem like a bad thing, think about it from a perspective employers position. You still don't have the experience you need just from fourth year, so your first employer has to mentor you and deal with the mistakes you make. That adds up to a lot of time and money if you don't end up staying there for more than a couple years.
 
I would have to disagree with you there. Especially if you had your large animal/equine and radiology rotations during your pregnancy. Two things would happen - either you'd get to pass but not be able to get the as much of the hands on part or you would have to miss so much that would need to be made up while everyone else (like your 4th year friends) is moving away. And in case you are thinking not having as much experience doesn't seem like a bad thing, think about it from a perspective employers position.

Well I wouldn't say it's common, but it's not unheard of and students still are successful having been pregnant in fourth year. A doctor I worked for had 2 in vet school. It wouldn't be my choice personally, but it's not the worst.

your first employer has to mentor you and deal with the mistakes you make. That adds up to a lot of time and money if you don't end up staying there for more than a couple years.

Lol. And if you're thinking they won't have to do that anyways whether you have all the experience in the history of vet school, you would be wrong as well.
 
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Lol. And if you're thinking they won't have to do that anyways whether you have all the experience in the history of vet school, you would be wrong as well.

Oh of course they do. But since more mistakes costs more money, don't you think they are going to look for students that have more experience or did better in their fourth year? Even though we have a great field to bet getting into, its not like every student gets the job they want. More and more students are also trying to go the internship route which is also incredibly competitive. The question to ask would be if getting pregnant during fourth year would take away from the learning we are paying a ton for.

I'm not saying its impossible and I'm not saying its the only factor that goes into a decision. Its just something to think about.
 
I'm 27 and didn't get in for the fall. Applying to SGU and Ross now, and am TOTALLY NERVOUS about it, but I've gotta do it... this thread has really made me feel so much better about applying. THANK YOU, NON-TRADS!
 
I'm 27 and didn't get in for the fall. Applying to SGU and Ross now, and am TOTALLY NERVOUS about it, but I've gotta do it... this thread has really made me feel so much better about applying. THANK YOU, NON-TRADS!

For more hope and encouragments read my post on 1/23/2011 and the few other posts
 
Woo Hoo! Yay for fellow non-trads! I'm 29 (will be 31-32 if I get into vet school on my first try) It is so nice to see that there are so many other non-trad students out there. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one in the world who took the scenic route, lol.

This post not only made me feel less self conscious about being a non-trad, it also helped me see that there may be benefits to it :)
 
I'm 21 - but when I start vet school, IF I get in for 2012, I will be 22, almost 23. And thinking about that makes me feel like my LIFE IS FLASHING BEFORE MY EYES.

But I did just meet a girl who was starting at U of Montreal and she was 27, so yay for cool non-trads! :thumbup:
 
I'm 21 - but when I start vet school, IF I get in for 2012, I will be 22, almost 23. And thinking about that makes me feel like my LIFE IS FLASHING BEFORE MY EYES.


Are you calling yourself old? If so, I highly suggest you duck for cover right about now :laugh:
Depending on where you end up going, you will likely be on the younger side of your class at that age. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy being a young 20-something
 
Are you calling yourself old? If so, I highly suggest you duck for cover right about now :laugh:
Depending on where you end up going, you will likely be on the younger side of your class at that age. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy being a young 20-something

No, no I'm not calling myself old - just saying that when I say "in a year and a bit when I start vet school if I get in this year, I will basically be 23" freaks me out because it's like … a jump from 21 …

It sounds stupid when I try to type it out but in my head I'm like OH MY GOD HOW CAN I GO FROM 21 TO 23 SO QUICKLY :scared:

…

I'm not old, but I'm still having an age crisis because I still feel like I'm 18. :cool:
 
Can you kids please quit making a racket in this thread? Some of us seniors are trying to get our late-afternoon nap in right before dinner and our early-evening nap.

WHOA WHOA WHOA - If we're judging age by number of naps, then I am by far the oldest member in this forum.

I took a 6 hour nap yesterday and THEN I went to bed after.
:cool:

Someone please tell me there's a naptime block in vet school?
 
I'll chime in as another non-trad here.

I'm currently 31 and am applying to ONE school this year. If I don't get in, I'll apply to several next year. If I do get in, I'll be 32 when I start and 36 when I finish. If I get in next cycle, it's 33 and 37.

I'm pretty sure my parents and parents-in-law are devastated by this decision, though they'll never admit it. My husband and I have been together for 11 years and married for almost 8 and we have no children yet, and don't plan to have any until I'm at least a year out of school.

The idea of taking on so much debt at this age (I know, I'm not the oldest here, but I'm SUPER frugal) seems absolutely crazy to me, but working in upper management for the rest of my life seems much crazier.

Anyway, that's my story. I don't post too much here, but I certainly lurk! ;)
 
Been a Lurker for quite awhile, but thought I'd chime in on this thread as my first post. I'm currently 37yo and will be applying for the first time to get in for the fall of 2012 (at which time, I'll be 38). If successful, I'll be 41 by the time I graduate so all you twenty-somethings talking about being old.... just make me laugh :laugh:
 
I'm 25 years old. My mother constantly reminds me that I'm not as young as I wish, and that I better get on with my life like the rest of my friends and my cousins. Mothers really know how to irk you..But I have a lot of older friends who are just starting schools, or venturing out on a new career path, and I don't think I'm old at all. Especially since knowing that there are so many just like me here, and inspirational fellow SDN-ers that are older than me but are clear-sighted and know what they want in life. Personally, I love that I'm a non-trad; that I majored in something I loved with passion (Anthropology) and I tried something else before realizing what I really wanted in my life. Now I'm confident I won't look back and wonder the "what ifs.." in life when I'm knee deep in vet school (fingers crossed!) because I've already tried it!
 
I'm 25 years old. My mother constantly reminds me that I'm not as young as I wish, and that I better get on with my life like the rest of my friends and my cousins. Mothers really know how to irk you..But I have a lot of older friends who are just starting schools, or venturing out on a new career path, and I don't think I'm old at all. Especially since knowing that there are so many just like me here, and inspirational fellow SDN-ers that are older than me but are clear-sighted and know what they want in life. Personally, I love that I'm a non-trad; that I majored in something I loved with passion (Anthropology) and I tried something else before realizing what I really wanted in my life. Now I'm confident I won't look back and wonder the "what ifs.." in life when I'm knee deep in vet school (fingers crossed!) because I've already tried it!

This is a really good attitude. I watched my mom go back to school when I was in high school and she was 40. The three years she was in school were hell for me - she worked full time (at a crappy, shift job that she hated) and all she did in her free time was study, but she was so unbelievably happy and proud when she completed the program, and was even happier when she could get away from the crappy shift job. That taught me that it's never too late to do something you really love/want to do, even if it means some serious sacrifices!

PS - At 25, you're a spring chicken. :)
 
Two weekends ago, I was on a dive boat coming back into Wilmington, NC. One of the ladies who is my age looked out on the giant slip'n'slide someone had made on a dune and remarked, "wouldn't you like to be a drunk 24 y/o about now?" I replied that I would settle for being a drunk 30 y/o. I don't think I'd want to go back to being 21 again. Gained too much experience since then. Haven't really gained more than pounds since 31. Well, ok, I picked up a wife along the way, but...
 
I'm a non-trad, and I often feel like I have wasted so much time in the workforce- always animals of course, and now getting through on my bachelor's in social work (I have only one of my math/science pre-reqs) that I feel incredibly discouraged and late. For some support, are there any other non-trads who are a bit late on this journey to veterinary medicine also? Words of hope? Sometimes I feel so wayward in my late revelation. :( Oh, I am 27 and a junior at Stony Brook University. I still have many math/sci courses to take after I complete my bachelors.


Don't feel bad, I am going on 37 and I am currently a Junior at the University of Memphis:)
 
You're 27? So is my son. So don't go calling yourself old when I am old enough to be your mother....heck, what are you even doing in the "non-trad" thread!
 
Hello, all:

I'm new to the SDN community (just joined today), and figured I'd introduce myself. I also posted in the 'lurkers, don't be shy' thread, so you can learn more about me there.

I'm currently 32 years old, and will be applying to veterinary school next cycle (2012 for 2013 matriculation). Should I be accepted, that will make me 34 by the time I matriculate, 38 by the time I graduate, and 41 by the time I complete my residency. Old is a state of mind :) I've got plenty of energy left in me!

Best of success to all of you applying this year! I look forward to cheering you on, and sharing your victories come acceptance season :)
 
I'm definitely a NTS. I'm 31, have a degree in CJ, served 8 years in the military, have a husband and three kids.

I agree with all the other posters who said life is too short. It really is. My mom got her MBA last year, and she finally is doing something she loves. We had a friend die recently at the age of 41, and it just solidifies to me that life is too short to stay in a career/job that you hate. Do something you love, and if it means changing mid-stream, so be it!

As for myself, I don't mind being non-traditional. I get a lot more respect in most of my classes and profs are more willing to work with me on issues because I've got a family, or as one prof told me last semester "a life". :laugh:
 
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