is it too late for me to start on the pre-vet track? help pls

[pali8991]

I wanted to be a vet when I was younger but kinda moved away from it. I am a current sophomore psychology major and enjoy it, but I'm not in love with it. Lately I've been looking up grad school options, and every field I consider, I find myself trying to figure out a way to work in that field but with animals.. I have been underwhelmed by most psych career options and have been seriously considering starting on the pre-vet track in the upcoming fall semester..

my question is: is it unrealistic to start on the pre vet track as a junior undergrad?? I have been doing a lot of research about what it takes to get into vet school, and it seems like difficult but very worth it. I just know I would love working with animals everyday. I'm just a bit overwhelmed with all the requirements, but I'm willing to put the work in.. Am I crazy for starting this on the late side? any advice or encouragement is very welcome

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[Mattcj]

I wanted to be a vet when I was younger but kinda moved away from it. I am a current sophomore psychology major and enjoy it, but I'm not in love with it. Lately I've been looking up grad school options, and every field I consider, I find myself trying to figure out a way to work in that field but with animals.. I have been underwhelmed by most psych career options and have been seriously considering starting on the pre-vet track in the upcoming fall semester..

my question is: is it unrealistic to start on the pre vet track as a junior undergrad?? I have been doing a lot of research about what it takes to get into vet school, and it seems like difficult but very worth it. I just know I would love working with animals everyday. I'm just a bit overwhelmed with all the requirements, but I'm willing to put the work in.. Am I crazy for starting this on the late side? any advice or encouragement is very welcome

Hi! It is definitely not too late! No time like the present! You could either switch over to animal science OR finish your psych degree and take your vet school prereqs where/when you can. I would suggest probably sticking with psych if youre doing well GPA-wise in it.

 

[Mattcj]

I wanted to be a vet when I was younger but kinda moved away from it. I am a current sophomore psychology major and enjoy it, but I'm not in love with it. Lately I've been looking up grad school options, and every field I consider, I find myself trying to figure out a way to work in that field but with animals.. I have been underwhelmed by most psych career options and have been seriously considering starting on the pre-vet track in the upcoming fall semester..

my question is: is it unrealistic to start on the pre vet track as a junior undergrad?? I have been doing a lot of research about what it takes to get into vet school, and it seems like difficult but very worth it. I just know I would love working with animals everyday. I'm just a bit overwhelmed with all the requirements, but I'm willing to put the work in.. Am I crazy for starting this on the late side? any advice or encouragement is very welcome

By that i mean stick with psych if doing well academically and take your vet prepreqs when you can

 

[pali8991]

By that i mean stick with psych if doing well academically and take your vet prepreqs when you can

thanks!! I just personally don't know anyone who has gone through this process and it just seems so daunting! I will most likely finish my psych BS and slip in as many prereqs as i can when possible, and take courses over the summer/winter too

 

[hygebeorht]

I wanted to be a vet when I was younger but kinda moved away from it. I am a current sophomore psychology major and enjoy it, but I'm not in love with it. Lately I've been looking up grad school options, and every field I consider, I find myself trying to figure out a way to work in that field but with animals.. I have been underwhelmed by most psych career options and have been seriously considering starting on the pre-vet track in the upcoming fall semester..

my question is: is it unrealistic to start on the pre vet track as a junior undergrad?? I have been doing a lot of research about what it takes to get into vet school, and it seems like difficult but very worth it. I just know I would love working with animals everyday. I'm just a bit overwhelmed with all the requirements, but I'm willing to put the work in.. Am I crazy for starting this on the late side? any advice or encouragement is very welcome

Not too late. You can do some figuring to see what it will take to finish your psych degree and also get your pre-reqs handled. You may be able to do some CLEP or community college coursework to place into higher level coursework and "fast-forward" as it were.

How are your math/science chops? If you can't get good grades in things like chemistry, you may want to reconsider. Also, you say you "just know" you would love working with animals everyday. Would you love working with violent animals? Would you love euthanizing cute animals? Liking animals does not equate to liking vet med. I would get yourself into a veterinary practice ASAP to volunteer and see what it's actually like. Not only will you need tons of hours for your application if you do apply, but you'll also get a feel for what the work is like, and if it is ACTUALLY a good fit for you. There are lots of ways to work with animals that don't involve getting a DVM.

I have a degree in creative writing. If vet med is a good fit for you, it's not impossible to start where you're at and make it happen.

 

[pali8991]

Not too late. You can do some figuring to see what it will take to finish your psych degree and also get your pre-reqs handled. You may be able to do some CLEP or community college coursework to place into higher level coursework and "fast-forward" as it were.

How are your math/science chops? If you can't get good grades in things like chemistry, you may want to reconsider. Also, you say you "just know" you would love working with animals everyday. Would you love working with violent animals? Would you love euthanizing cute animals? Liking animals does not equate to liking vet med. I would get yourself into a veterinary practice ASAP to volunteer and see what it's actually like. Not only will you need tons of hours for your application if you do apply, but you'll also get a feel for what the work is like, and if it is ACTUALLY a good fit for you. There are lots of ways to work with animals that don't involve getting a DVM.

I have a degree in creative writing. If vet med is a good fit for you, it's not impossible to start where you're at and make it happen.

Thanks! while I have yet to work at a veterinary clinic, I have worked at a kennel and have volunteered at my local humane society. I would of course get that experience, but based on my past experience, I believe theres the potential for it to be a good fit for me. I'm still exploring my options though!

 

[SkiOtter]

Thanks! while I have yet to work at a veterinary clinic, I have worked at a kennel and have volunteered at my local humane society. I would of course get that experience, but based on my past experience, I believe theres the potential for it to be a good fit for me. I'm still exploring my options though!

Those would be considered animal experience on your app not vet experience. Also, as a vet you’re not working with animals very much. You’re working with people who happen to own animals. If you like working with animals, teching may be a better fit than a veterinarian. The vet sees an animal for maybe 5 minutes where the techs are usually the ones who are more hands-on with the animals.
I also am going to say you should get some vet experience. It doesn’t have to be working in a vet office, it can be shadowing the vets.

 

[pali8991]

Those would be considered animal experience on your app not vet experience. Also, as a vet you’re not working with animals very much. You’re working with people who happen to own animals. If you like working with animals, teching may be a better fit than a veterinarian. The vet sees an animal for maybe 5 minutes where the techs are usually the ones who are more hands-on with the animals.
I also am going to say you should get some vet experience. It doesn’t have to be working in a vet office, it can be shadowing the vets.

thanks! yeah i definitely intend on getting that vet experience if I decide to go down this route. But I'm open to many paths to work w animals ! still exploring!

 

[SkiOtter]

thanks! yeah i definitely intend on getting that vet experience if I decide to go down this route. But I'm open to many paths to work w animals ! still exploring!

I would definitely suggest trying to shadow a vet this summer to see if this is the field for you before committing and starting all of the prerequisites

 

[JustPaws]

I would definitely suggest trying to shadow a vet this summer to see if this is the field for you before committing and starting all of the prerequisites

This ^^^^^
Don't start prereqs until you have gone in some appointments and see how much client interaction is part of the job.

 

[Aqua_girl87]

Those would be considered animal experience on your app not vet experience. Also, as a vet you’re not working with animals very much. You’re working with people who happen to own animals. If you like working with animals, teching may be a better fit than a veterinarian. The vet sees an animal for maybe 5 minutes where the techs are usually the ones who are more hands-on with the animals.
I also am going to say you should get some vet experience. It doesn’t have to be working in a vet office, it can be shadowing the vets.

Yes! I work as a veterinary assistant and can say I have plenty of hands-on time with the animals, way more than the actual veterinarian does. What made me passionate about pursing vet school is that I love helping people help their animals. I love the client interaction as much so as the time I spend with patients.

It's never too late to purse vet med! I would recommend shadowing a veterinarian first and the decide if that's truly the career you want to pursue. If it is, you can definitely do it by completing your pre-reqs and getting some hours of shadowing down.