Is Vet School for me?

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HorsesAreMyLife

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Hi everyone!
I am in my late 20s and thinking of going back to school. One of the options that I am pondering is eventually vet school. I am a little scared of the thought though! I have heard how difficult it is and the amount of debt that vets graduate with is staggering. I also am a little nervous because I am not 100% sure that it is what I want to do and I am wondering if I could keep up with the coursework.

To give you some info about me, I opened my own business right out of high school. My best subjects in school were English, journalism and that type of thing while my worst were math and physics. Looking back I believe I could have actually done better, but I guess I was naive as a teenager! I have 17 years of experience working with horses, which is where I would most likely like to specialize. I also recently completed the University of Guelph's Equine Science Certificate and completed it with a honors with Distinction. I had to take courses in Exercise Physiology, Nutrition and Growth and Developement. My favorite was Anatomy though! :D I have assisted the veterinarian when she works on my horses and I love to ask questions and learn what she is doing and why. I recently had the opportunity to observe a colt being gelded and found it absolutely fascinating! (It was the first time I had seen any type of surgery and wasn't sure how I would react!) I have worked with small companion animals as well as farm animals, treated injuries, and stayed with animals as they have been euthanized so I do understand that being a vet isn't just fluffy puppies and pretty kitties. :)

If I decided on the vet school route I would most likely want to upgrade my math/sciences at the local community college (since I've been out of school for so long!) and then apply to a local university to complete a BSc, then apply to the nearest vet school, which is about 9 hrs. away.

So I was wondering if you guys have any advice, experiences, or anything that can give me an idea if I am up to the rigors of attending vet school and becoming a veterinarian? Anything would be helpful! Thank you!

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I think your background indicates that you're looking at vet med for the right reasons - you have a natural curiousity about the whys and hows of treatment and diagnosis. You also seem to know what steps you need to take to get to vet school (upgrading anyting necessary, pre-reqs, etc). You don't necessarily need to go to a university to take your BSc - a lot of people get as many of the lower-level sciences as they can at a community college to save money.

Money is a big consideration. You mention the nearest school is 9 hrs away but I'm not sure if that's a school that you have residency at. Residency makes a big difference in terms of tuition, so look into that. Look into your local school and see what they require for courses, experience, etc.

Ultimately, though, we can't offer any advice on whether this is a path you want to pursue. That's something only you can decide for yourself.
 
Are you good in biology classes? I decided to go back to school myself at the age of 30. I am starting Vet school in August. I am very excited but the work is going to be very intensive. Animal background is important, but an intensive Biological Sciences back ground is important as well.
 
Community Colleges won't really prepare you for some of the harder classes. The level of work and memory can be much different depending on how good the Community College is. If you don't have a BS yet at all.....I would go to a college and start taking Biology classes and see how you do. A bio degree is very science intensive. You will need 2 chemistry, 2 organic chemistry classes, 2 physics classes, the labs for all of them...Biochemistry, Calculus.....In Biology you will need Intro biology, animal biology, physiology, genetics and microbiology....its helpful to take Immunology, Virology, Comparative Anatomy, Histology, and other animal type classes.
 
Are you good in biology classes? I decided to go back to school myself at the age of 30. I am starting Vet school in August. I am very excited but the work is going to be very intensive. Animal background is important, but an intensive Biological Sciences back ground is important as well.
I actually never took Biology in high school (I took Chemistry and Physics) so that is also one of the reasons why I thought it would be good to take Biology at the local community college before heading to university.
 
That's a good plan.

You can take the intro classes at a community college, but you will need to go to a 4-year university for the upper level classes.

If I were you, I would:
A. Find out which university (or universities) accept student from my province and then research that university. What classes do they require? What experiences do they expect? Do they care if you take courses at the community college? You may have to e-mail admissions to get some questions answered, but you can find out most on the website.
B. Write a plan. How many classes do you plan to take at once? How long will it take? Where will you fit in veterinary and animal experiences?
C. Call up vets and start shadowing. You like the idea of veterinary medicine and you are intrigued by what you've seen so far. Time to dive straight in and see if you like everyday veterinary work!
D. Come back to SDN and let us know how it goes :-D
 
Thank you to everyone who has posted so far! I really appreciate your comments!
 
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