I need advice about school

[Anyanka]

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I will try to make this a short as possible.

I am currently 23 and I am enrolled full time at San Juan College in their vet tech program.
I have an Associate's degree in English and I had wanted to get my Bachelor's in English/Russian, but once my best friend got her English degree, I quickly realized there is not much she can do with it at this time.
I decided after getting my Associate's degree that I wanted to pursue my age-old dream of becoming a veterinarian.

I'll start at the beginning... When I originally started school, fresh out of high school, I wanted to major in microbiology and continue on to veterinary school after that. This did not go as planned because while in school full time and working two jobs I fell into a deep depression. My friends convinced me that Russian and English was the way to go, so I studied that for almost two years. (As you may have guessed, I used to be very easily influenced by people close to me)

I ended up moving in with my now ex-fiance. Things continued downhill from there. I left the school I had a scholarship to and went to University of Alabama to study Anthropology (of all things). My two semesters spent there consisted of 'W' grades and racking up massive student loan debt. (Roll Tide...) I did, however, manage to get a veterinary assistant certification while there.
I then left UA and returned home to live with my sister. That is when I got my A.A. in English. I have obtained large amounts of student loan debt (upwards of $20,000) because my parents made too much money for me to get grants, but I would still love to pursue my dream of being a veterinarian.
I decided to settle and take classes in veterinary technology basically to get a feel for veterinary medicine seems how I had tried many other things before only to decide I did not want to do them. As it would turn out, I love it. I worked for a short period of time in a veterinary hospital (until I moved) and I realized that it really is my passion to help animals.

Here is the question (yay, finally!): After having done two semesters in veterinary technology...
should I continue and get my vet tech degree and then go to a 4-year school, complete a degree there and then apply to veterinary school
or
should I stop the vet tech degree now and get an equally decent-paying job using my vet assistant certification or A.A., pay off some of my loans, and then try to get my 4-year degree and apply to veterinary school?
Basically - is a vet tech degree useless to a veterinary student?

If you've read this far, I want to thank you so very much.
(Also, in regards to commenting, if you just want to bash me and say I am whining or whatever, please keep it to yourself or tell your cat. Thanks.)

 

[awaring1]

IMHO the most useful aspect of being a vet tech while applying is that your job gives you a lot of experience in the field. If you can get a job as a vet assistant, you will still be able to stack up those hours for your resume. If someone gets into vet school as a tech or with a BA in Biology, they are still going to be learning the same exact things.

Vet schools want a few major things:
Experience
Grades/Scores
Hard Work
Passion

If you can show that you have those, I don't think a special certification will be that much of an advantage.

Also, do what makes you happy!

 

[Savethewhales]

A vet tech degree certainly isn't useless but my guess is you are going to have a lot of science and math classes to take depending on the schools you are interested in applying to. Personally, I would start to look at some of the schools' academic requirements and start figuring out how to satisfy them.

Questions....

How much longer do you have in the vet tech program?

Since I don't have any idea of what classes you have to take in the program....have you taken any general chemistry or organic chemistry or any other science requirements?

 

[Anyanka]

Questions....

How much longer do you have in the vet tech program?

Since I don't have any idea of what classes you have to take in the program....have you taken any general chemistry or organic chemistry or any other science requirements?

I have three more semesters left, which means that I will graduate in August of 2012. It is only a two year degree and I didn't think that having a two year degree would allow me to get into a veterinary medicine program. I have taken two general biology classes and one chemistry (back when I was majoring in Russian I took it as an elective.) In order to get the vet tech degree I do not have to have any more general education classes in science; it only requires those two biology ones I already had. The rest of the classes apply specifically to veterinary technology, specifically pharmacology, radiology, microbiology (studying things like viruses and bacteria that animals can get), and veterinary nursing techniques.

I will definitely look into the schools I want to apply to and what their requirements are.🙂

Thanks!

 

[that redhead]

It is only a two year degree and I didn't think that having a two year degree would allow me to get into a veterinary medicine program.

At almost all US vet schools (and likely others outside of the US), you do not need a degree of any kind to gain acceptance. Most people get it as a result of having to take all of the pre-requisite courses anyway but it isn't a requirement.

My question is:why a vet instead of just a tech, if what you're interested in is helping animals? Techs help animals a lot, and its cheaper to obtain that degree! While I think your exposure to a part of the profession is good, I'm not sure what kind of exposure you have to the hard-core science courses: the chemistries and physics namely. You say you took some biology and chemistry - how were your grades in those classes?

I don't at all mean to deter you if this is what you want. But I think the very first step of all is to analyze why you'd decided vet school. To be quite honest (and because it was something I had to realize, too!), having always wanted to a be a vet isn't really a good reason. The road ahead of you will be grueling and I think it's crucial that you commit 100% before continuing. If in the end you do want to do vet school, my opinion would be to ditch the tech training and start preparing to apply to vet school (pre-reqs, more experience, GREs, etc).

 

[libster06]

Basically - is a vet tech degree useless to a veterinary student?

It just seems like a long way around something... it's not needed, and anyone can get experience as a tech without a tech degree, if you work in the field long enough. Having the degree would not do anything for you application. All they care about is whether you have all the pre-requisite classes from approved universities. The degree part, no matter how long, is not the determining factor of getting into vet school, since you don't need a degree to get in (other than at U.C. Davis) but rather the pre-req classes you have taken and whether the schools you are applying to will accept the courses you have taken at a specific institution. Your tech school classes may or may not be accepted by the places you apply, depending on their credit policies. I also am sure there are certain classes for vet school that are not offered in tech school.

At this point, if you really want to go to vet school, it would be in your best interest, I think, to abandon the tech program and start on the pre-reqs in an undergrad program (READ: pre-reqs, not necessarily degree). If your ultimate goal is vet school, the tech school is not doing anything for you right now, academically and financially. You can gain animal/vet experience (and use the experience you already have accumulated) on your own while taking undergrad classes. Secondly, the debt you have accumulated is a factor, and it is a huge thing to consider. You already have student loan debt and you have not yet gone through any undergrad classes, then there is the debt of vet school. You really have to ask yourself is it worth it. Lastly, you have to really look into your reasons for wanting to go to veterinary school. It's so incredibly rigorous and requires complete wholehearted commitment prior to realizing just what you are committing to.

 

[Anyanka]

A

My question is:why a vet instead of just a tech, if what you're interested in is helping animals? Techs help animals a lot, and its cheaper to obtain that degree!
You say you took some biology and chemistry - how were your grades in those classes?

It is much cheaper to get a vet tech degree (like 1/5th of the cost), but I feel so limited as a vet tech. It is definitely still a possibility that I will finish my tech degree. One downfall of being a tech would be not making much money. My husband is a disabled veteran and is unable to work; so, I basically have to support both him and myself. Eventually, he will start getting disability payments, but that really isn't much. I am afraid that a vet tech's salary will not be enough to support us and the children we one day hope to have.
It is a big decision, I know, and it is definitely something I am going to have to think about. I just wanted to get some advice here to help me in my "soul-searching" (as my husband calls it) to find out what I want to do.
As for my classes in biology and chemistry, I made A's in all of those classes and I really enjoyed them.
Thanks for your advice.

 

[Anyanka]

"It just seems like a long way around something... it's not needed, and anyone can get experience as a tech without a tech degree, if you work in the field long enough. Having the degree would not do anything for you application."

"At this point, if you really want to go to vet school, it would be in your best interest, I think, to abandon the tech program and start on the pre-reqs in an undergrad program (READ: pre-reqs, not necessarily degree)..."
"Secondly, the debt you have accumulated is a factor, and it is a huge thing to consider. You already have student loan debt and you have not yet gone through any undergrad classes, then there is the debt of vet school. You really have to ask yourself is it worth it. Lastly, you have to really look into your reasons for wanting to go to veterinary school. It's so incredibly rigorous and requires complete wholehearted commitment prior to realizing just what you are committing to."

Thank you for the advice. I hadn't realized I didn't need a degree to get into vet school. I knew about the prereqs, I just assumed that a degree was required.
Debt is definitely a huge issue here. The good news is, as long as I declare a major if I decide to go to school in Maine for prereqs, the state will pay for it because that is my husband's home of record. (There are some perks to him being a disabled vet at least.) So, I won't have to worry about racking up more debt getting my undergrad prereqs.
I have a lot to think about; thanks again for your advice.

 

[Vwvet]

Thank you for his and your service. I love what you guys do to protect us.

 

[Anyanka]

@Vwvet

Thank you for his and your service. I love what you guys do to protect us.

🙂 Thank you! He served in Iraq twice and Afghanistan once; I'm just glad he doesn't have to go back.

 

[Vwvet]

My Dad comes home in time for my HS Graduation 🙂

 

[Savethewhales]

Since you mentioned needing to financially support the both of you, I think its worth mentioning that once you do go to vet school you won't be able to work a full time job. In addition you will be taking on anywhere from 50-250k in loans. This is not meant to scare you off but you should think about the fact that you might have another 2-3 years of pre reqs and then 4 years of vet school before you are really able to make a solid income....and even then you will be paying off loans for quite a few years after. I think you are being smart by asking questions. There are so many answers here on sdn if you search the threads. Good luck!

 

[Anyanka]

@ Vwvet

That's awesome! I'm so glad you'll get to have him there. 😀

 

[Anyanka]

@Savethewhales

I have been doing a little research into the costs of vet school. I am just hoping I'd be able to get accepted into my in-state school. That makes it much more affordable. (More towards the $50k in loans than the $250k)
It looks like I would have about 2 years of prereqs to get into school.
I would hope I could work at least part time while in vet school. I'll just have to continue fishing around the forum and the vast interwebz for more information. It is definitely not a decision I am going to make quickly or take lightly.

 

[jmo1012]

One downfall of being a tech would be not making much money. My husband is a disabled veteran and is unable to work; so, I basically have to support both him and myself. Eventually, he will start getting disability payments, but that really isn't much. I am afraid that a vet tech's salary will not be enough to support us and the children we one day hope to have.

Don't forget that you're probably going to be substantially further in debt if you go to vet school and it is going to take a very long time to pay it off. Vets don't typically go into the field for the money 🙂

 

[libster06]

One downfall of being a tech would be not making much money. My husband is a disabled veteran and is unable to work; so, I basically have to support both him and myself. Eventually, he will start getting disability payments, but that really isn't much. I am afraid that a vet tech's salary will not be enough to support us and the children we one day hope to have.

I guarantee you that a vet tech's salary will be much more than would any job you had during vet school. You are in class from 8 am-3, 4 or 5 pm. Then you go home and study. A "part-time" job in vet school consists of a few hours here and there in the week. Also the pay is not much either, so loans would really be your main option, especially if you were having to support 2 people.

 

[sumstorm]

(More towards the $50k in loans than the $250k)

I'll be impressed if you can walk away with $50k in loans even in state. Don't forget cost of living along with tuition. We have the cheapest in state tuition, and even that adds up to >$50k, particularly including the clinical year. Really run those numbers carefully, looking at COA as well as tuition. Even at my best, when my husband was laid off, I couldn't manage more than 12 hours a week, and I was making $40+ an hour...and it was still hard on student loans supporting a spouse. Not saying you aren't a stellar student that could blow me out of the water and do it well, but vet school is a whole different critter than undergrad. I never anticipated how difficult it would be; I worked ~60hr/wk in undergrad and am still more worn out now.

 

[that redhead]

It is much cheaper to get a vet tech degree (like 1/5th of the cost), but I feel so limited as a vet tech. It is definitely still a possibility that I will finish my tech degree. One downfall of being a tech would be not making much money. My husband is a disabled veteran and is unable to work; so, I basically have to support both him and myself. Eventually, he will start getting disability payments, but that really isn't much. I am afraid that a vet tech's salary will not be enough to support us and the children we one day hope to have.
It is a big decision, I know, and it is definitely something I am going to have to think about. I just wanted to get some advice here to help me in my "soul-searching" (as my husband calls it) to find out what I want to do.
As for my classes in biology and chemistry, I made A's in all of those classes and I really enjoyed them.
Thanks for your advice.

I would run your numbers carefully. Cost of tuition is only one of the costs associated with school. Don't forget books, supplies, rent, food, etc. Even in-state (and there is really no guarantee, as I've found 😉) it can add up quickly. During school, the consensus seems to be that there is very little time for work if you want to keep afloat in classes. Also, have you looked into starting salaries in your area of interest in vet med? Most fields are really not as lucrative as most people think. What if you do a residency or internship? What if you need to move to find a job or can't find one well-enough paying where you are?

I don't mean to discourage you, but I think you may want to look at the numbers are little harder, especially if you and your husband's lives will depend on your income.