Junior in HS, equine vets... advice?

[OliviaLane]

I am a junior in high school, I am one of the few people I know who know what they want to do in the future. I am a horse lover and an animal lover. I never thought I would want to be a vet, though. I realized my dream one day:
To like in Kentucky, own my own barn, own my own rescue barn that is, train horses, train girls and boys who jump. BUT also to be an Equine Vet.
I decided i wanted to be an equine vet after I visited a few rescue barns. I fetl attached to the horses and I wanted to help them. I also love dogs and big animals.
My first question is: How do I go about specializing in equine vet? Will the schools ask? I have been so confused trying to get around college websites, I gave up on some of them. I found a school in Colorado and a school in Virgina.
My second: Is it crazy to be an equine vet and a "large animal" vet as well?
My third: what general requierments do I need to do in college to get accepted into a Vet School. SOme college speakers have told me I need to take biology, and for equine vet I have been told I need to major in equine sciences. So I am looking at a minor and a major obviously.

This is so much to handle and I am starting my college search, I just get fristrated though, if anyone could help in anyway, I would be veryy, very grateful!
THank you!!!

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[psilovethomas]

My first question is: How do I go about specializing in equine vet? Will the schools ask? I have been so confused trying to get around college websites, I gave up on some of them. I found a school in Colorado and a school in Virgina.

There are 28 vet schools in the US and a handful of accredited vet schools in Canada and the UK. Here is a list of vet schools in the US.
Any veterinarian with a DVM can be an equine vet. You can choose to take electives in equine medicine while you're in vet school.

My second: Is it crazy to be an equine vet and a "large animal" vet as well?

Nope, it's quite common. Veterinarians can practice on livestock, horses, and small animals. Veterinarians who practice small and large animal medicine are mixed animal veterinarians.

My third: what general requierments do I need to do in college to get accepted into a Vet School. SOme college speakers have told me I need to take biology, and for equine vet I have been told I need to major in equine sciences. So I am looking at a minor and a major obviously.

Each school has it's own requirements. There are certain courses, such as biology, gen chem, organic chem, microbio, etc., you must take to even be considered for admission. You can find these "prerequisite course requirements" on each school's website (which you can find through the link I posted above). Most schools have a minimum GPA requirement and a minimum GRE (graduate record exam, kind of like the SAT/ACT for grad school) score. You do NOT have to major in equine sciences to become an equine vet. You can major in ANYTHING you want! You can major in theater, history, animal science, etc.. Major in what you want to major in!

Welcome to the forum and good luck!

 

[NStarz]

Welcome to the forums! I would also like to point out that SDN has a new feature "FAQs," located at the top of the page. I think you may find some of the answers to your questions there!

 

[Bill59]

Also understand that loving horses is not the same thing as loving equine medicine any more than loving children means you would love being a pediatrician.

So in addition to doing well in high school, I would start trying to find a veterinarian to work for, volunteer for or at least shadow. That's the best way to find out if you really want to be a veterinarian. It's also strongly recommended if not required to get into veterinary school.

Goo luck!

 

[OliviaLane]

Thank you all for your adive! THanks

 

[PetPony]

I gotta agree with Bill: 'Only' the love for animals isn't all you need to be a vet.
I didn't think that I'd wanna be a vet until this summer, when we had a badly injured horse from a neighbouring barn to take care of. It was covered with blood from crashing through and getting caught in some fences. I used to not be able to even look at animals that looked that bad, but after having to help then I realized that I could actually do it, that I could stay calm enough to deal with it, and that it just felt right!
I'd try some shadowing of vets to see what it really is like and what you have to do if you are going to be one.

 

[Angelus9]

for equine vet I have been told I need to major in equine sciences.

Absolutely not. You are going to be a doctor. A doctor who happens to treat horses, not people. Would these speakers tell a human pre-med to study anthropology or sociology to prepare for medical school? No. They'd tell them to study biology, chemistry, anatomy, etc. Same thing for you.

Yes, there are equine science-degreed students in vet school, and there are English and Art majors in vet school, too. You do not "need" to major in equine sciences. IMO that's ridiculous. (NOT saying the equine science degree is ridiculous - not at all, but saying that I think many non-vet people have this totally mistaken idea about equine studies programs. It's like the mistaken notion that you should be a vet tech first if you want to go to veterinary school. Do you become a nurse if you want to go to medical school? No.).

Good luck to you! You'll find a wealth of information on SDN.

 

[moosenanny]

They'd tell them to study biology, chemistry, anatomy, etc. Same thing for you.

I know Angelus mentioned this is his/her post, but I wanted to emphasize that you do not need to major in the sciences at all. You can major in whatever you find interesting and that you have a passion for, as long as you fulfill each vet school's pre-requisit courses too . . .

 

[Angelus9]

as long as you fulfill each vet school's pre-requisit courses too . . .

Right, which is the same thing as saying you're gonna be studying the hard sciences as well as anything else you like, which is a far distance from misinforming people like those who talked to the OP and who knows how many other people: "Some college speakers have told me I need to take biology, and for equine vet I have been told I need to major in equine sciences."

These people should be slapped. They definitely need to stop advising high school students.

A random Google search for pre-reqs:

Tufts: http://www.tufts.edu/vet/dvm/prerequisite_courses.html

LSU: http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/admissions/min_prereqs.asp

Ohio State: http://vet.osu.edu/education/prerequisites

Penn: http://www.vet.upenn.edu/EducationandTraining/StudentAdmissions/FAQs/tabid/305/Default.aspx