Non-Traditional Advice

[lux0r]

I have seen the old forums for the non-traditional students starting in the fall, but I would love some advice from people who have taken a few years off and have gone back to school?
How do you handle the transition? How do you handle the finances? Was it hard? What was hard about it? Was there an awkward age gap?

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[sumstorm]

Define few years? I took off about a decade.

The transition wasn't much different than any major career transition. There were parts that were really hard...very different 'culture.' Finances = student loans, for me.

I do find it hard. I went from being an expert in my field with a very successful business to being treated like a clueless 20 year old. Also, I felt there were times when there was an expectation that minor school things should always trump important personal things (family stuff.) However, firm boundaries in place, and I'm sitll here and nearing clinics. Also, terminology and what we know changes a lot and fast. A common saying is 'half of what you learn in vet school will be out of date by the time you graduate.' I found a lot of what I learned a decade ago wasn't quite accurate anymore. For a while I just felt bewildered, but then I found professors that would say 'oh, yeah, we use to call it X, but now it is Y' and that helped alot.

There is an awkward age (more of a generational view) gap with some of my classmates, but I think anyone of any age will find others that they connect with. age is only one small part of compatability for friendship, and professionally you will be dealing wiht age gaps, so why avoid it now?

 

[Armymutt25A]

I had a 12 year gap. I treat school like it's a job, so there's not much of a transition. The biggest difference is that I don't get to relax at the end of the day. Finances are kind of rough. I went from making about $70K to $30K in loans. You just have to figure out a budget and stick to it. I made a spreadsheet listing all of the bills I could think of for each semester. It's better to go high on things like electricity, water, gas, etc. I don't know that I would call school "hard". To me, hard means complicated and difficult to understand. It is more like simple ideas coming out of a firehose. If you can memorize fast, you'll be awesome. I have to hit things repeatedly to cement them in my head. I realize that I won't know everything for every test and take calculated risks. As for the age gap, it is what you make of it. I'm not the oldest in my class - there is someone 2 years older. I don't have any issues, other than not quite grasping some of the current definitions of some words. I almost started a bad rumor when I described the fact that someone in our class met a friend at a conference as hooked up. I think the age thing actually works out well. You'll notice that there are distinct groups that hang out together. I can pretty much freely associate with any of them without it being awkward.

 

[lux0r]

Thank you sunstorm!
I have been out of college for 3.5 years, but I have been teaching. It's weird that some of my students in high school are the same age as students entering veterinary school with me.
The finances do scare me more than I want to admit. I am debt free; I live comfortably. However, I feel sacrifices will be necessary.

 

[Packen]

You will be fine I worried too though. I had been out of undergrad for about 10 yrs before going vet school. I decided to a foreign country leaving behind friends, family and the hubby, but in my gut I knew it was what I had to do.

I don't really find the age an issue. There are some less mature students that I try to avoid (and it has nothing to do with age), but for the most part we are a very supportive, close class. And I really value the friendships I have made so far

 

[bayarea15]

It can be hard. Mostly with finances and relationships. Your friends and so are gonna think you are nuts. But keep going.

Sent from my PC36100 using SDN Mobile

 

[LetItSnow]

Was there an awkward age gap?

It was a little awkward today when our professor started class by blasting Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart ... and I can remember when it was released after I was out of high school.

.(….\……….…../….)
. \….\………... /…./
…\….\………./...../
….\…./´¯.I.¯`\...../
…./… I….I..(¯¯¯`\
…I…..I….I…¯.\…\
…I…..I´¯.I´¯.I...\&#8230
…\…..` ¯..¯ ´…….'
….\_________.?´
…..lo o o o o ol
…..lo o o o o ol
…..lo o o o o o|

(My classmates love to tease me, but half the time I bring it on myself anyway.)

 

[K9DANE]

It was a little awkward today when our professor started class by blasting Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart ... and I can remember when it was released after I was out of high school.

.(….\……….…../….)
. \….\………... /…./
…\….\………./...../
….\…./´¯.I.¯`\...../
…./… I….I..(¯¯¯`\
…I…..I….I…¯.\…\
…I…..I´¯.I´¯.I...\…)
…\…..` ¯..¯ ´…….’
….\_________.?´
…..lo o o o o ol
…..lo o o o o ol
…..lo o o o o o|

(My classmates love to tease me, but half the time I bring it on myself anyway.)

\m/ \m/

1989 - Dr. Feelgood & Tommy's flying drum set. I saw that tour I was 16, lol.

 

[sumstorm]

I think the age thing actually works out well. You'll notice that there are distinct groups that hang out together. I can pretty much freely associate with any of them without it being awkward.

Yeah, group wise I haven't had issues....it's definitly been a 'generational' differences with individuals issues...and I would have the same conflict with an individual my age that behaved in a similar manner. I think Armymutt mentioned something about this on facebook recently, and I know my roommate, PythonChic, was talking about it recently as suddenly making sense of why her views and my views on doing novel procedures is completly different.

 

[Armymutt25A]

Being older can be fun. One of our professors uses a Mac. My job is to prep the classroom A/V system. I got it all set up and the Mac screen saver came on after a while. It was the one with the rainbow/lava lamp looking thing. With the lights low, another older student and myself felt that Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb was appropriate. The rest of the class seemed kind of confused by it.

 

[oxyjen]

While I don't get to compete with some of the age gaps here in this forum, I did take a few years off and pursue a career completely different from vet med in social work.

I just got accepted to vet school after starting completely over 4 years ago in undergrad work. Social work majors in my era required bio 1 & 2 and a ton of psych classes. But nothing close to physiology and anatomy. I will say that I had to relearn how to study because most of my social work graduate studies was paper writing - and so gray - far from the black and white answers of math and science.

But I treat it like my job too. Sucks that I don't get to relax, but at least come test time, I'm not cramming because I learned it a week ago studying it after lecture.

I find myself drawn to the older students in the classes and they seem to be drawn to me too. So of you find your niche, study buddies and comfort zone - you should be great

 

[StartingoverVet]

This is an old thread (last year... absolutely ancient) where I offered my opinions/advice. Some of it was disputed/controversial but take it for what it is worth.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=773885

In the end I turned out to have some health issues that could have been making life a little more difficult, although maybe not. Who knows.

Good luck. If you have specific questions let me know.

ps - I don't find the age thing an issue dealing with other students. Just wish I was physically and mentally closer to 10 years ago. Or 20 years ago.

 

[moosenanny]

Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb

That is my favorite song from my favorite band - has been for a while and I'm 23

 

[equine2be]

It was a little awkward today when our professor started class by blasting Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart ... and I can remember when it was released after I was out of high school.

.(….\……….…../….)
. \….\………... /…./
…\….\………./...../
….\…./´¯.I.¯`\...../
…./… I….I..(¯¯¯`\
…I…..I….I…¯.\…\
…I…..I´¯.I´¯.I...\…)
…\…..` ¯..¯ ´…….’
….\_________.?´
…..lo o o o o ol
…..lo o o o o ol
…..lo o o o o o|

(My classmates love to tease me, but half the time I bring it on myself anyway.)

Awesome...I'm approaching 40 and I asked our new hire (film and television major) if she liked any "classic" TV shows. Her response: "you mean, like, Seinfeld?'
A part of me was crying inside....

 

[StartingoverVet]

Sorry about my cryptic comment above. I forgot to add the link.
It is there now.

 

[Megascops Asio]

Awesome...I'm approaching 40 and I asked our new hire (film and television major) if she liked any "classic" TV shows. Her response: "you mean, like, Seinfeld?'
A part of me was crying inside....

A part of me died inside when I was flipping through channels a few months ago and noticed Friends was on Nick at Night...

 

[Armymutt25A]

Our anatomy professor made one of her questions involving a Ms. Frisbee (or something like that) and a magic schoolbus being stuck in the omental bursa and needing to get out of the body w/o an incision. I thought it was just something she made up. Turns out it's an actual show.

 

[Emiloo4]

A part of me died inside when I was flipping through channels a few months ago and noticed Friends was on Nick at Night...

 

[squeegee]

Our anatomy professor made one of her questions involving a Ms. Frisbee (or something like that) and a magic schoolbus being stuck in the omental bursa and needing to get out of the body w/o an incision. I thought it was just something she made up. Turns out it's an actual show.

Ms. Frizzle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpu50t97U0M

 

[kakurubird]

Our anatomy professor made one of her questions involving a Ms. Frisbee (or something like that) and a magic schoolbus being stuck in the omental bursa and needing to get out of the body w/o an incision. I thought it was just something she made up. Turns out it's an actual show.

Ms. Frizzle and The Magic School Bus!!
There was a cartoon version on PBS I used to watch (as in, 15 yrs. ago) and the teacher would shrink the bus down so the class could go explore different things (like weather and the human body and other things) and there was the one kid who always said "I knew I should have stayed home today."

Totally just wikipedia'ed it and apparently Little Richard performed the theme song?!

 

[bunnity]

Ms. Frizzle and The Magic School Bus!!
There was a cartoon version on PBS I used to watch (as in, 15 yrs. ago) and the teacher would shrink the bus down so the class could go explore different things (like weather and the human body and other things) and there was the one kid who always said "I knew I should have stayed home today."

Totally just wikipedia'ed it and apparently Little Richard performed the theme song?!

It's a book too!