Paving the way to a Successful Future Career

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StockShowQueen128

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Hello everyone,

Before I begin with my question and the very reason I started this thread, I would like to explain some things about myself, if you wouldn't mind, as I believe it will aid anyone in attempting to understand and answer my question.

I am young, currently still in high school, and as driven/passionate as they come. I'm a strong student when it comes to academics, test scores, volunteering, animal experience, veterinary experience, extracurricular activities, and drive. I'm an extremely active member of 4-H, raise livestock, and know the realities of veterinary medicine as a career. I've done my research and then some, and have been a quiet observer on these forums and threads until now, as I have a difficult to define, previously unanswered question to pose to the experts.

I would like to broach the subject of my question with a disclaimer: I understand that the road to DVM is hard, I understand that being accepted into any undergrad/grad/vet school is an extreme honor, I understand that practicing as a private practice/general practitioner vet is excellent, and I understand that many will seek greatness, but very few actually achieve it. With my understandings and philosophies out of the way, I will try to pose my question.

I have poured over these threads, exploring and imagining every option and path on the journey to and after vet school, looking for the thing that I want to wake up every morning and do. I went from wanting to just be a vet, to dreaming of rigorous courses at the most premier schools, working and competing with the best and brightest minds of the world, and pushing the boundaries of science within the field of veterinary medicine. Prestige doesn't mean anything to me, quality does though.

With that said, I am looking for suggestions, pointers, tips, and advice for what it takes to prepare and set yourself up for the most cutting edge and highest impact jobs/internships/careers/opportunities. To clarify and possibly spark the conversation, although not limit it, where do board members and officers of the AVMA, AAVSB, AVBP, etc. achieve their successes and find themselves in their positions? What educational and recreational paths did those who created cutting edge treatments and techniques in the field of veterinary medicine take to boost the development of their success and allow them to contribute to the field with such an impact? Which schools provide the most opportunity for future success and impact? Which undergrad and vet schools create the brightest futures? Do you suggest a PhD in addition to a DVM? Do suggest minors or other majors than animal science as well? What about specialties? Within undergrad, vet school, specialties, and internships, how do you separate yourself from the rest and show you are an innovator and a dreamer with ideas and goals? How do you seek out the opportunities that will pave the path to greatness within the field?

I know I'm asking some big questions for being such a young person, and I hope those who recognize my desire and passion for veterinary medicine, science, and agriculture will be able to comment, add ideas, or type out some prose on the ideas and topics I've mentioned above.

Thank you all so much for the years of education on this forum, and thank you all for sharing your struggles and triumphs on this website for people like me to learn from. Also, thank you in advance to anyone willing to tackle my mountain of difficult questions; it truly means the world to me.

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Step 1: Be a kid. I know you are eager and excited to get out there and tackle everything you mentioned above. But, honestly, you only get so many years to be a carefree, debt free, adventurous kid. Do that. You don't get those years back.

Step 2: Focus on what is needed next. No need to be thinking about internships, residencies, etc. Focus on undergrad first because that is your next step. Sounds like you might have a drive toward research. Look at undergrads that have good research programs and apply to those. However, do keep cost in mind if you end up needing loans. Don't go to some ivy league just to say you went there. It won't give you the "points/edge" you might think.
 
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I'm gonna echo DVMD. CHILL.

You're a kid. You may still change your mind about even wanting to be a vet. Forget about "greatness". Calm down. Take things one step at a time. And for ****'s sake give yourself time to have fun. Everything about your post sounds (and I mean this in the nicest possible way) hella arrogant. Like bordering on a parody of the typical over achieving teenager. There's a reason you haven't found an answer to your question here; we commonly see things like this and our usual advice is 'calm your tits'. Explore some other careers, take your time, get out of your comfort zone a little.

But hey its 10PM on a Monday and I'm drinking beer, eating mini-cupcakes and playing DDR, so I'm probably no where near "greatness".
 
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TBH, I was just like you. I got a job with a veterinarian when I was 14 and have been in the field ever since. I'm also depressed af and had a fairly miserable time as a teenager. I don't regret getting into the field so early, but I regret taking my **** so seriously all the time. I wish I had folks like the ones who posted above to give me advice like that.

I haven't gotten into vet school yet, but it's still my goal...and it's really all I live for at this point. While it's not a bad goal to have, it sucks that this is the only thing that keeps me going.

You need to have a good balance. Be social, have hobbies...do things that make you happy. If you aren't sure what makes you happy, figure it out. God knows I still haven't.
 
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Before I begin I thought long and hard before deciding to answer your questions, but I would also like to echo everyone else's opinions... relax please. Enjoy your time not super stressed and debt free. I know being a vet is what you think you truly want to be, but please follow coquette22's advice: EXPLORE OTHER CAREERS. It is not bad to do that and I think most everyone here would encourage it. At one point I had a falling out with the vet I work for plus the debt of school really made me question my desire to go and be a vet at one point. I took time off from vet med and explored other options. At the time I was so angry and ready to give up on vet med and hated the vet. It was a *****y situation, but I'm glad it happened. Exploring other career options really truly made me realize this is what I am going to do despite the debt, long hours, and rigor. Go to undergrad where you are conserving money (this also goes for vet school if and when you get there). Plus I think once you get to undergrad a lot will probably change. High school was, well, a walk in the park to say the least...undergrad definitely is not as easy for most. With that said I'm going to answer your questions, because I think you can learn and gain perspective from the answers, although most responses will probably not answer your questions.

Just so you know, I used to do all the research and run numbers, etc. Still do for the most part especially calculating tuition, interest, and the pure statistics of my chances of getting into certain schools based on sheer numbers. The most important thing for you I think will be getting to undergrad and getting in shadowing experience. Shadowing experience I think will be the most useful and sobering thing to help you truly realize your goals and truly realize the meaning of "greatness" you speak of. Now that I'm applying my application is essentially done, but hitting that submit button really means that everything I have anticipated and worked for is now out of my control. I have tried to fit my life on this application with limitations that I feel cannot truly portray everything, but I am hoping others will think I am worth the time and effort with what I have been able to convey. I know I have what it takes, but it is up to them if they agree. If you get to that point you will understand it is not about the definition of "greatness" that you have expressed.

1)To clarify and possibly spark the conversation, although not limit it, where do board members and officers of the AVMA, AAVSB, AVBP, etc. achieve their successes and find themselves in their positions?
Honestly, it's something most work towards. I worked with a vet she was on the AVMA board. She got involved at the local level and worked her way up. I don't know exact information, but with that said it's essentially like student council you get voted to positions....

2)What educational and recreational paths did those who created cutting edge treatments and techniques in the field of veterinary medicine take to boost the development of their success and allow them to contribute to the field with such an impact?
Hard to say. Who are you talking about? What cutting edge things did they develop? You'd have to ask them or find their biography to know. Most started out like most of us with a dream of becoming a vet. With that said, success is what you define it as. Remember there will always be that person with a better idea than you, more success than you. Being successful is what you define it as. Also many cutting edge treatments are not feasible for most owners so it's more about individual innovation than the cutting edge treatment (to me modifying treatments to make things work to help patients and clients is success, not designing some fancy new procedure that costs people tens of thousands of dollars). Although if one day you make it to vet school and create a cutting edge treatment for cancer you'll have millions knocking on your door.

3) Which schools provide the most opportunity for future success and impact?
Depends what your goals are. Any AVMA accredited school will be fine to attend, because they all have to meet certain requirements so essentially you will receive a standard education (sorry to disappoint).

4) Which undergrad and vet schools create the brightest futures?
Again this is dependent on your goals. What bright futures achieved depends on how hard you work. What you put in is what you'll get out. Again go where you are conservative in your education debt.

5)Do you suggest a PhD in addition to a DVM?
Depends again. Is research or teaching a passion you have? If it is great, if it isn't don't waste your time. That's an extra at least 4-6 years of school on top of the 4 years for your DVM and most likely your 4 years of undergrad. If you love writing papers and being in school go for it. I personally don't want to write and defend a thesis and be in school for another 4 years on top of everything else.

6)Do suggest minors or other majors than animal science as well?
Again depends. Do you want to own a practice? Then a major or minor in business would probably be helpful. Plan to work in a heavily Spanish speaking population? Then Spanish majors or minors might be helpful. With that said major in something you love. Love art? Major in art and take the prereqs for vet school (in case you don't get in you can still get a job you love although it may not be your dream). Although animal science is the common major, some people major in things completely unrelated and take the prereqs then go to vet school.

7)What about specialties? Within undergrad, vet school, specialties, and internships, how do you separate yourself from the rest and show you are an innovator and a dreamer with ideas and goals?
There are no specialties in undergrad or really in vet school for that matter...specialties come after vet school. This is very similar to medical school. You do vet school then a residency in a specialty. For internships there are tons depending what you are interested in. Search them on the internet, your undergrad school will also have some. As far as separating yourself...that's a tough one. I don't know that it is persay possible in the sense you are talking about. We are all unique individuals because we all do different things. What one person perceives as innovation and dreaming may not be another person's opinion. You could do every internship you can possibly get your hands on before vet school and still not be accepted.

8)How do you seek out the opportunities that will pave the path to greatness within the field?
What is greatness to you? To me it means making enough money to pay off my school debt after vet school and maybe own my own practice one day. Having the means and ability to travel the world some and have a nice house and family one day (very far in the future) is my view of success. To others it means being able to pay the bills and relax on the weekend drinking beer and hanging out with friends. Maybe research will spark your interest and you want to find the cure to cancer. As a researcher I will tell you it is incredibly frustrating and things hardly ever go your way and you will probably run the same experiment 100 different times about ready to give up when you run it one more time and finally get a successful result. That one successful result is greatness.

I hope you found this helpful... you still have a lot to learn and I mean this in the nicest way possible. Everyone here gives great advice and I hope by them not directly answering your questions you aren't offended, because they are giving you literally the best advice. Take your time, travel, enjoy life, explore other careers, try something you've never done before, go on an adventure, relax, take care of your mental health (cannot stress how important this is), don't sweat the small stuff, and save the $ if this is your true calling.
 
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Hi OP. I applaud you for your commitment to this career at such an early age. I offer these words of advice in response to your question.

Take the time, at every stage of your life, to get to know YOURSELF. "Greatness" means different things to different people. For some, it means a bunch of shiny plaques/crystal pillars bearing your name, proudly gracing your office walls or desk. To others, it means name recognition in all the prestigious journals- extra bonus points for Cell, Science, and Nature, as these transcend disciplinary boundaries. I used to be one of these folks....WAY back in the day, when I graduated from undergrad. My self esteem back then wasn't what it is today, and I craved the recognition of folks to validate my existence. In my mind, the accolades translated to this: Many awards/name recognition = Lab Vet is a good person, Lab Vet deserves to be here.

Today (almost 20 years later), I have a very different view of success. I no longer equate my value with the external trappings of what others believe to be a successful life. These days, success = contentment. Contentment = a whole bunch of little things. Coming home after an honest day of work to my dog, watching Game of Thrones with my bestie, enjoying a cold beer out by the pool with my cousins, reading a journal article on my own time because I find it interesting, cheering my colleagues on for their own personal/professional successes, connecting with God and Nature, coloring with pencils and cartoon drawing, flipping through my numerous coffee-table books on the art of animated film, knowing I made a small difference in the lives animals directly under my care....that's enough.

Life is short. Knowing one's self is the journey of a lifetime- an adventure of sorts. But...you need to take the time. Don't get so caught up in this job to the exclusion of everything else. 'Everything else' is what often makes life worth living.

I love my job. I'm thrilled with the direction my career has taken me, but my job isn't me. Enjoy your youth. Hang out with friends, explore some hobbies, spend time with and appreciate those you love. Veterinary medicine is a worthy goal, an important goal- but don't miss out on the flowers along the way. They're worth stopping for.

Good luck.
 
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To begin, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread and gave advice/guidance.

MixedAnimals77 and Lab Vet: thank you for your lovely answers, what you said really resonated with me. The contribution you made meant a lot and I learned a lot from your words.

To the rest of the posters, thank you for your words, even if they weren't the kindest. I want to mention that if anything I write at the moment sounds harsh, it is because I am crying while writing this trying to comprehend all that's been said. I was hesitant to post anything at all because I've witnessed how vile people can become on these threads, despite people's best interests being at heart. Things get lost in translation and tones are misrepresented on the internet, so I don't want to jump to conclusions or take things too personally. To address the poster that mentioned my arrogance, I am sorry you interpreted my post as arrogant. That was not my intention, as I don't have an arrogant bone in my body. In fact, I am quite insecure with myself. Those of you who took guesses at my character, let me remind you, you know nothing about me, nor do I owe you any explanation of my life. I am driven because I've been broken. I pour myself into my academics and extracurricular activities because other aspects of my life falter. I find solitude and peace within the pages of anatomy books. I find myself in my goals. I've suffered a lot of health issues and losses, and I am learning to be okay by immersing myself in the things I love. Is it really that rare that a young person genuinely loves veterinary medicine, science, learning, and planning? I LOVE veterinary medicine, STEM, and education. These things are my fun. This is me being a kid. I'm not going to be a run of the mill kid who gets drunk and parties every weekend just because that's someone else's definition of fun. My fun is studying. Can we except that people are individual in their desires and pleasures?

To better clarify what I meant in my original post, I don't seek the validation of others; I want to learn what it takes to set myself up for a career where I can positively make an impact on the agriculture and veterinary medicine industries. From reading these forums, I learned that research opportunities are very limited unless you acquire your PhD as well as your DVM, and I was curious to learn more obscure, yet crucial details like that. Instead I got another life lesson that I am still grateful for.

I thought this website was a safe place to pose questions about veterinary medicine, but I guess I was wrong.

Please, I know its ridiculously clique, but if you have nothing nice to say, just say nothing at all. You don't know anything about me, and I know nothing about you. I'm not judging you based off of your reply, especially since one of you mentioned you're probably drunk. All I'm saying is, this website is my safe haven, a place where I can learn from everyone else's experiences and seek out my dream and passion. I don't want this thread that was so disturbing to me to ruin everything I thought I loved about this site.

Thank you again for the insight.
 
To begin, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread and gave advice/guidance.

MixedAnimals77 and Lab Vet: thank you for your lovely answers, what you said really resonated with me. The contribution you made meant a lot and I learned a lot from your words.

To the rest of the posters, thank you for your words, even if they weren't the kindest. I want to mention that if anything I write at the moment sounds harsh, it is because I am crying while writing this trying to comprehend all that's been said. I was hesitant to post anything at all because I've witnessed how vile people can become on these threads, despite people's best interests being at heart. Things get lost in translation and tones are misrepresented on the internet, so I don't want to jump to conclusions or take things too personally. To address the poster that mentioned my arrogance, I am sorry you interpreted my post as arrogant. That was not my intention, as I don't have an arrogant bone in my body. In fact, I am quite insecure with myself. Those of you who took guesses at my character, let me remind you, you know nothing about me, nor do I owe you any explanation of my life. I am driven because I've been broken. I pour myself into my academics and extracurricular activities because other aspects of my life falter. I find solitude and peace within the pages of anatomy books. I find myself in my goals. I've suffered a lot of health issues and losses, and I am learning to be okay by immersing myself in the things I love. Is it really that rare that a young person genuinely loves veterinary medicine, science, learning, and planning? I LOVE veterinary medicine, STEM, and education. These things are my fun. This is me being a kid. I'm not going to be a run of the mill kid who gets drunk and parties every weekend just because that's someone else's definition of fun. My fun is studying. Can we except that people are individual in their desires and pleasures?

To better clarify what I meant in my original post, I don't seek the validation of others; I want to learn what it takes to set myself up for a career where I can positively make an impact on the agriculture and veterinary medicine industries. From reading these forums, I learned that research opportunities are very limited unless you acquire your PhD as well as your DVM, and I was curious to learn more obscure, yet crucial details like that. Instead I got another life lesson that I am still grateful for.

I thought this website was a safe place to pose questions about veterinary medicine, but I guess I was wrong.

Please, I know its ridiculously clique, but if you have nothing nice to say, just say nothing at all. You don't know anything about me, and I know nothing about you. I'm not judging you based off of your reply, especially since one of you mentioned you're probably drunk. All I'm saying is, this website is my safe haven, a place where I can learn from everyone else's experiences and seek out my dream and passion. I don't want this thread that was so disturbing to me to ruin everything I thought I loved about this site.

Thank you again for the insight.

This is why most of the time hSDN is the place to stay. No one said anything vile or mean to you here, but as a teenager, everything seems like an attack and you have not learned to understand advice. Nothing here should be making you cry, I promise no maliciousness was meant. You cannot take it that way. You are young and anxious to succeed, and everyone here is still telling you to step back and enjoy the moments of youth, because as you get older, time starts going faster. This means the responsibilities of adulthood can make people think back on their time as a kid and realize they wish they had appreciated it at the time.

So moral of the story here is, don't get upset with seasoned adults telling you to relax. It will happen often I imagine and I never understood people who got bent out of shape about it. Sometimes taking a breath and stepping back is exactly what is needed to clear one's head and reassess. Putting all that stress and expectation on oneself is usually a road to melt down.

Good luck to you on your journey. Adding my 2 cents is to take all this ambition and put it towards finding things you enjoy and gaining life experience. People who do not have diverse hobbies and interests are at high risk of burn out. :)
 
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Thank you Lupin21 and SandstormDVM, I appreciate the input. I don't participate on the hSDN forum, as there is a limited amount of information that applies directly to veterinary medicine as a career path. I will agree that many of the comments were constructive and informative, and most certainly not malicious, but there is nothing constructive or kind about telling a youth to "cool their tits."

I will stress that academics and animals are my fun! It is what I love and enjoy. I have other hobbies and interests, I assure you, although this is where my passion is. Hence the original post.

Speaking of my original post, can we get back to that? I didn't ask how to have fun before vet school. I didn't ask for anyone's opinion or critical analysis of my character. I didn't ask for anyone's judgement. I asked about setting yourself up for a successful and interesting career.

Thank you.
 
Thank you Lupin21 and SandstormDVM, I appreciate the input. I don't participate on the hSDN forum, as there is a limited amount of information that applies directly to veterinary medicine as a career path. I will agree that many of the comments were constructive and informative, and most certainly not malicious, but there is nothing constructive or kind about telling a youth to "cool their tits."

I will stress that academics and animals are my fun! It is what I love and enjoy. I have other hobbies and interests, I assure you, although this is where my passion is. Hence the original post.

Speaking of my original post, can we get back to that? I didn't ask how to have fun before vet school. I didn't ask for anyone's opinion or critical analysis of my character. I didn't ask for anyone's judgement. I asked about setting yourself up for a successful and interesting career.

Thank you.
I think you underestimate my advice then. You asked how to separate yourself from the pack, and your life experiences are it. I stood out because I had a career in animation first, and due to the many other experiences I had in life not related to vet med, I brought a different perspective to the table that had the possibility to bring to the profession creative thinking. I also knew how to work with many different departments as a lead, so it was demonstrated I likely communicate well and can show understanding to the various types of employees and clients likely to come my way. The list goes on.

As others have said, you have to focus on undergrad first. Make sure you know how to study effectively because it takes good grades to show you can handle the workload that comes with vet school. During your undergrad, explore the various fields of vet med by finding some research and diversified veterinary experiences. Do all this while saving as much money as possible because the crippling debt is only climbing higher.

That is about as far as you can go right now. You may be one of those that instantly falls in love with a particular aspect of the veterinary field and can then focus on what is needed to pursue that. Or you could be like many of us who have to play around and will be choosing later in the game where to settle after some trial and error. You have to keep in mind too while you may fall in love with one thing, it won't necessarily be that way at a different place. The ability to adapt is probably the most valuable tool in the box for a veterinarian or researcher.

And to end this. You are on a public forum where you will always get unwanted tangents from your OP. It doesn't mean there isn't valuable info in those as well. If you don't perceive there to be any, just skim past them. That too, is valuable advice from an old woman who frequents forums.
 
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Way to inspire and support the future generation of your beloved industry everyone. Real great show of love and support. I'm overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and information pertaining to my question. Bravo.
 
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Way to inspire and support the future generation of your beloved industry everyone. Real great show of love and support. I'm overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and information pertaining to my question. Bravo.

Reading this again, I must say you really did provide some good advice, and I'd like to thank you for sharing your experience in the field. I was surprised by the tone some comments took and got a little scared everyone would reply harshly. I appreciate your advise and will take it to heart. Thank you again.
 
Way to inspire and support the future generation of your beloved industry everyone. Real great show of love and support. I'm overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and information pertaining to my question. Bravo.
Why are you posting this sarcastic reply? I once again put what I consider excellent advice out there in a clear manner that answered what you are after. You are not doing yourself justice here by reacting this way. It is showing you have a very long way to go in understanding what it will take for you to be successful.
 
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Why are you posting this sarcastic reply? I once again put what I consider excellent advice out there in a clear manner that answered what you are after. You are not doing yourself justice here by reacting this way. It is showing you have a very long way to go in understanding what it will take for you to be successful.

My sarcasm was not directed at you and for that, I apologise. I did begin to get defensive, which isn't usually in my nature. I re-read your reply with an open mind and found it quite helpful and not at all demeaning. For these reasons, I replied to you again thanking you for your solid advice. Like I said earlier, things get misunderstood and lost in translation on the internet. I'm disappointed this thread ended up going so south. I was just hoping to get some advice from the very people I look up to on this forum. My sarcastic reply was meant as a rhetoric to remind people what the point of this forum in the first place.
 
Right. I debated responding to this, but am going to give it a go.

OP, I was you. Not in the exact same circumstances, but I know what it's like to live a life where your future and your dreams are the thing that keeps you going. You can even see it in some of my oldest posts.

The previous posters are being honest when they say relax. Be a kid. Where the advice is well-meaning, sometimes it's harder to take when your life doesn't give you the opportunity. But.

For me I found that leaving home both helped and hurt. Go to undergrad somewhere else. Give yourself some distance from whatever it is causing you all that stress, as much as possible, and learn to have fun again. I say from a lot of experience (as do others here) that focusing this hard on school, consistently for so long, will burn you out and burn you out fast.

It's okay to have plans. I have a million spreadsheets that I update far too often and tweak and consider. For me it's part of my anxiety. It's also a response to a lack of control in your life - you exert control over what you can control (i.e., plans for the future). But realize they're flexible.

I was also someone who went into research wanting to change the world. But, what you don't realize, is that for all those moments that may make a huge change in the world, there are thousands that don't. Experiments that fail, things that make tiny, tiny impacts. You may never make a life-changing discovery, no matter where you go or what position you obtain.

I'll also add - a lot of the past great scientific discoveries were pure dumb luck. You can't manufacture luck. You just have to hope you get lucky.

People are being supportive here. I know the words sound harsh and dismissive to you, but they're said with care. All you can do is focus on the step in front of you. Otherwise you're going to burn out long before you hit where you want to.
 
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but there is nothing constructive or kind about telling a youth to "cool their tits."

*shrugs* My goal is to make people happy in the long run not right this second. When I was your age I was ADAMANT that I was going into journalism. Guess what? I changed my mind. Other people do too. You might. Everything in your post reads as someone who is going too hard too fast and is going to burn out before they're 25. I'm snarky sure, but I don't feel like anything in my post was excessively mean.

ETA: Nor would I categorize any one on these forums as "vile". I feel like yes, us older members can sometimes be snarky because we've answered these questions 387 times and we usually don't get listened to, because many of the younger members insist that they're special snowflakes and that our advice doesn't apply. We are supportive, but we don't coddle. Yes, you may get advice you don't want to hear, but I feel like people often come into this forum asking for advice but actually wanting validation for what they've already decided in their heads and they get upset when they don't get that validation. This is what I'm seeing in this thread.
 
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To begin, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread and gave advice/guidance.

MixedAnimals77 and Lab Vet: thank you for your lovely answers, what you said really resonated with me. The contribution you made meant a lot and I learned a lot from your words.

To the rest of the posters, thank you for your words, even if they weren't the kindest. I want to mention that if anything I write at the moment sounds harsh, it is because I am crying while writing this trying to comprehend all that's been said. I was hesitant to post anything at all because I've witnessed how vile people can become on these threads, despite people's best interests being at heart. Things get lost in translation and tones are misrepresented on the internet, so I don't want to jump to conclusions or take things too personally. To address the poster that mentioned my arrogance, I am sorry you interpreted my post as arrogant. That was not my intention, as I don't have an arrogant bone in my body. In fact, I am quite insecure with myself. Those of you who took guesses at my character, let me remind you, you know nothing about me, nor do I owe you any explanation of my life. I am driven because I've been broken. I pour myself into my academics and extracurricular activities because other aspects of my life falter. I find solitude and peace within the pages of anatomy books. I find myself in my goals. I've suffered a lot of health issues and losses, and I am learning to be okay by immersing myself in the things I love. Is it really that rare that a young person genuinely loves veterinary medicine, science, learning, and planning? I LOVE veterinary medicine, STEM, and education. These things are my fun. This is me being a kid. I'm not going to be a run of the mill kid who gets drunk and parties every weekend just because that's someone else's definition of fun. My fun is studying. Can we except that people are individual in their desires and pleasures?

To better clarify what I meant in my original post, I don't seek the validation of others; I want to learn what it takes to set myself up for a career where I can positively make an impact on the agriculture and veterinary medicine industries. From reading these forums, I learned that research opportunities are very limited unless you acquire your PhD as well as your DVM, and I was curious to learn more obscure, yet crucial details like that. Instead I got another life lesson that I am still grateful for.

I thought this website was a safe place to pose questions about veterinary medicine, but I guess I was wrong.

Please, I know its ridiculously clique, but if you have nothing nice to say, just say nothing at all. You don't know anything about me, and I know nothing about you. I'm not judging you based off of your reply, especially since one of you mentioned you're probably drunk. All I'm saying is, this website is my safe haven, a place where I can learn from everyone else's experiences and seek out my dream and passion. I don't want this thread that was so disturbing to me to ruin everything I thought I loved about this site.

Thank you again for the insight.

No one said fun meant going to parties and getting drunk. Nor was that anyone's definition of fun. But...go be with people your age, travel, explore new things, explore other possible STEM careers even. Go to a science museum for fun. Go to the movies. Go play mini golf. Go to a water park with friends. You don't have to be drinking nor did anyone imply that. If that is what you think all teenage kids do, you need to meet more people.

And I get this is your fun focusing on science but you need need need an outlet outside of it. As someone looking back on what I did...I was just like you study because I found it enjoyable, now I'm starting behind in finding what hobbies interest me so that I can have an outlet. You don't want to end up being 30 with no hobbies outside of your job. Trust me.
 
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With that said, I am looking for suggestions, pointers, tips, and advice for what it takes to prepare and set yourself up for the most cutting edge and highest impact jobs/internships/careers/opportunities. To clarify and possibly spark the conversation, although not limit it, where do board members and officers of the AVMA, AAVSB, AVBP, etc. achieve their successes and find themselves in their positions?
Positions like that are, like anything else, something that the person works toward during their career. Usually, you'd start out getting involved at the local level, then working your way up eventually.

What educational and recreational paths did those who created cutting edge treatments and techniques in the field of veterinary medicine take to boost the development of their success and allow them to contribute to the field with such an impact?
One of the cool things about people who are really successful is they have varying paths of getting there. Working hard even when it's the grunt work that no one likes to do, taking opportunities when they're present, and networking - that's what pays off.

Which schools provide the most opportunity for future success and impact?
Assuming you're in the US, any AVMA-accredited program is going to give you the education and tools you need to be successful as a DVM or VMD.

Which undergrad and vet schools create the brightest futures?
It's less about the name of the program and more what you do with your time there. Are you getting to know faculty members? Are you getting involved outside of the classroom?

Do you suggest a PhD in addition to a DVM?
The only reason to do a PhD along with a DVM (or after it) would be if you're really interested in research. You're in high school, so you probably haven't experienced research yet. I highly, highly recommend getting involved with it during undergrad. It takes a certain personality type to enjoy doing research, and it seems like a lot of people think they'll like it, only to get into a lab and discover that research is a lot of drudgery and failures mixed in with a few successes here and there. Plenty of universities have undergraduate research opportunities, and some labs will even take high school students as volunteers during the summer (I know my lab does). DVM/PhD programs are very competitive and it's the kind of thing you'd only want to do if you want the majority of your career to be research - and if that's the case, you have to ask yourself why you'd want/need the DVM (because interviewers will).

Do suggest minors or other majors than animal science as well?
It doesn't matter what you major or minor in. For vet school admissions, you just need the prerequisite courses. They're easier to knock out doing a science major of some sort, but it's certainly not required. I have vet school classmates who were theater majors, communications majors, etc.

Within undergrad, vet school, specialties, and internships, how do you separate yourself from the rest and show you are an innovator and a dreamer with ideas and goals? How do you seek out the opportunities that will pave the path to greatness within the field?
Ask questions. Ask questions at office hours. Ask if you can shadow. Ask about procedures that you're watching (afterward, if it's something that requires the person's full attention). Learn how you learn. When you get to know your professors and they know your goals, you'll discover that you have more opportunities. Work hard, ask questions, and be grateful for the chances you get, even if they aren't exactly what you think you want to do. I originally joined a research lab because I thought I might be interested in it and I didn't have anything else to do at that time - I had gotten rejected from the vet schools I'd applied to and was looking at an unanticipated gap year (which turned into 2 because I wanted to wrap up some projects in the lab). It ended up changing my career plans.

As others above me have said, you're young, and you should enjoy having less responsibility now than you're going to have in college or in professional school. I didn't, and I regret it. Your life experiences are what separate you as an individual. Get some shadowing in now, see the different aspects of vet med as much as you can. Try out research. Figure out what helps you learn, and figure out what helps you relax, which is more important than you might think. I'm really introverted. I didn't do the party thing in college, and neither did anyone in my friend group, but my outlet for stress during undergrad isn't available to me now in vet school, and I had to learn to cope with that.

tl;dr - there are some things that you can do to get an idea about whether vet med is what you really want to pursue once you experience it, but for the most part, let yourself enjoy being young and not having a ton of responsibilities yet. I love learning too, it's why I'm in an 8 year program, but like @DVMDream , I'm behind in having hobbies outside of science/medicine, and it was incredibly draining for me during first year of vet school because I didn't know how to relax and not feel guilty about not studying 24/7.
 
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You mentioned that you've done research and looked into other careers, but I just want to say to not be so dead set on being a vet that you let other opportunities pass you by. I wandering into a completely different career field when I was 19 and I did that for 5 years. That job was the reason I could pay for my undergraduate degree and the reason I know I'm mature and disciplined enough to handle vet school. I'm just saying if you have an opportunity of working or even just volunteering outside of vetmed you should seriously consider it because you never know.
 
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oh my. no seriously. working hard is great, but like Lupin and others have said, you need to be an interesting and fun human otherwise, not a school-and-work robot. this way lies burnout, and mental health issues that are super, super prevalent in our field. and if you think it won't happen to you, you're kinda wrong.
 
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No one said fun meant going to parties and getting drunk. Nor was that anyone's definition of fun. But...go be with people your age, travel, explore new things, explore other possible STEM careers even. Go to a science museum for fun. Go to the movies. Go play mini golf. Go to a water park with friends. You don't have to be drinking nor did anyone imply that. If that is what you think all teenage kids do, you need to meet more people.

And I get this is your fun focusing on science but you need need need an outlet outside of it. As someone looking back on what I did...I was just like you study because I found it enjoyable, now I'm starting behind in finding what hobbies interest me so that I can have an outlet. You don't want to end up being 30 with no hobbies outside of your job. Trust me.
Quoted for truth. Nobody said anything about drinking. I've been like really drunk maybe four times in my life. Fun for me in high school was cosplay, video games, drawing, conventions, etc. Nothing about partying.
 
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Wonderfully put @nohika Your story really resonates with me and I appreciate your sharing it. I 100% agree with what you said, and you have absolutely nailed it. Living my life, being in my situation, and dealing with what I deal with (PTSD, chronic pain, etc.) I heal through my passions, which coincidently encompass my goal for a future career. I'm becoming more and more aware and wary of burnout, and one of my tools to combat that is by looking at the positive aspects of what I can do within the field in the future. If I don't get bogged down in the present struggles, and keep my head up and looking towards the opportunities, I do alright.

Coqette22, anyone has the potential to burn out. Isn't that the harsh reality of this career path? But by making myself aware of that, I have a better chance to combat it. Snarky is fine, sarcastic is fine, in fact, I love satires, however, you drew a lot of harsh judgments about me from one post. I'd like to know you better before I attempt to define you, and I would appreciate it if you did the same. However, I understand it is human nature to make assumptions. I just didn't appreciate you calling me "hella arrogant" when you know nothing about me. I'm actually more in the "hella insecure but learning how to love herself" camp. Maybe being an "over achieving teenager" isn't such a bad thing? I really appreciated the advice about exploring other careers and getting out of my comfort zone. I will definitely take it to heart and take time to explore. I plan on going abroad throughout my second year out of high school, as I will be taking community college for two years to save money and complete the IGETC I've already started in high school. I plan on living a little before jumping into vet school, but I want to be prepared for when I get there. I didn't judge your lifestyle because you said it was 10pm on a Monday and you were drinking beer, eating mini cupcakes, and playing DDR, so why should anyone judge that I prefer to spend my Monday evenings working my show livestock and reading chemistry books? Trust me, I want to soak up every word you experienced people say like a sponge and learn from every bit of advice you guys give. If I didn't, why would I post in the first place? I could go on telling myself I'm a "special little snowflake" without putting up with some of this, but I wont, because I want to learn from it. I want to comprehend everything, just without the hostility. And I guess where I said I've seen some of these threads I should have used the word hostile. Its very true, I've searched and sifted through enough of these threads that I can confidently say they get hostile sometimes, which is completely understandable, however, very unnerving for a new poster.

DVMDream and nyanko, thank you for the input. I would like to add on the subjects you mentioned and assure you that I am working towards becoming an all around interesting human being. I'm learning American Sign Language, and a debutante, love museums, enjoy concerts, have a few good friends I hang out with, and take time for breaks and fun. I'm starting to realize how much of an impact those extra activities and interests make on your mental health while pursuing a vigorous education. Thank you for emphasizing the importance of fun, its hard to remember to take a breather sometimes! :)

Supershorty, what a comprehensive answer! Its greatly appreciated! I am literally going to print your answer out and highlight what you said! Your insight was great!

Oh boy, I hope this helps ease the tension and clear up misunderstanding a bit. I really don't want to start off on the wrong foot with all of you, and I hope I can clear anything else up as well. I'm just a really passionate kid who wants to make sure she can carve out a good path to her goals. Until recently, I didn't know that to do comprehensive and involved work in research you needed a DVM as well as a PhD, and it got me thinking that if I had gone through the DVM program and thought I could do research before learning that, I would've been really screwed, so I wanted to see if there were other minuscule but crucial details like that out there.

Thank you all for your patience and input! :)
 
Until recently, I didn't know that to do comprehensive and involved work in research you needed a DVM as well as a PhD, and it got me thinking that if I had gone through the DVM program and thought I could do research before learning that, I would've been really screwed, so I wanted to see if there were other minuscule but crucial details like that out there.
May I ask your reasoning for why you think this way? I have a PhD and I can guarantee that there are very fulfilling research careers that do not require a DVM as well. I guess it might also depend on what sort of research you want to conduct though. My advice for you would be to start being involved in a research project (as others have mentioned) but to also inquire about shadowing with a vet. Try to be exposed to both areas before you decide that you need to have both degrees.
 
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No one was judging you for enjoying your livestock showing or being a debutante. But we didn't have most of that information about you until the last few posts from you. Your first post emphasized your passion for studying. That is what everyone is responding to. Your first several posts make it sound as if you don't have a life outside of classes.

For undergrad and later for vet school, that's entirely not healthy. At all. Without my outlets in my art classes and residence life, I would not have made it through undergrad. I have found that even more important for vet school. I used to love school as well. Vet school has changed that entire perspective for me.

Please realize this isn't judgement on you. This is us using our life experience of other pre-health-professions students who were similar to you--and later has burn out issues. Yes, anyone can burn out; but as Coqette22 said, those most likely to burn out (and burn out hard) are those who have solely school to lean on (which is what you sounded like by your initial posts).

Also, realize you are judging us. You inferred one member was drunk simply because they mentioned having a beer. You assumed we only enjoy partying for fun. You have experienced here what you feel is hostility and have therefore projected negative assumptions about us. The fact is, no one was being hostile here and very few of us see hardcore partying as fun (and, honestly, as long as everyone is safe, there's nothing wrong with partying for fun). If you don't want assumptions made about you, that is a two way road.

None of these responses are personal attacks on you. Really. We simply didn't have enough information about you besides what is considered unhealthy attitudes for students in higher education to have. And your initial post was written in what I felt was an attempt to sound educated and impressive with flowery language and descriptors. That's extremely off putting to read to me. Those two factors is why you got the responses you did. And that's going to happen cause you're young. Look at this as a learning experience in communication as well as in "real life vet med".
 
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So I just got off a 12 hour shift including a cat euthanasia and an nearly comatose chinchilla and I was going to respond, but bats basically covered it. So I'll just say: Yeah. That. I wasn't judging you as a person, just telling you how you came across especially in your initial post. My first impression was "Holy crap, kid, that's intense, take a breath." (And frankly, feel free to judge me. I'm not super concerned with what strangers on the internet think about me.)
 
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May I ask your reasoning for why you think this way? I have a PhD and I can guarantee that there are very fulfilling research careers that do not require a DVM as well. I guess it might also depend on what sort of research you want to conduct though. My advice for you would be to start being involved in a research project (as others have mentioned) but to also inquire about shadowing with a vet. Try to be exposed to both areas before you decide that you need to have both degrees.

I've read through a lot of these threads and came across one where the OP wanted to do some research after vet school and all of those who commented concurred that she would need a PhD to have any opportunities to work in research. They spoke about dual DVM and PhD program and how having both allows you to do more later in your career, including conducting studies and even teaching at a vet school. I found this interesting so I searched PhD and DVM and found a bunch of other threads that confirmed what had been said in the original one. Later on, talking to professors at UC Davis, this past week actually, they said that DVMs can only help with aspects of research and if they have any big finds they have to hand it off to someone with a PhD or a PhD and DVM. If I've misunderstood this, please let me know! I don't know if there are any concrete rules about what can and cannot be done with a DVM. Thank you for the advice! :)

No one was judging you for enjoying your livestock showing or being a debutante. But we didn't have most of that information about you until the last few posts from you. Your first post emphasized your passion for studying. That is what everyone is responding to. Your first several posts make it sound as if you don't have a life outside of classes.

For undergrad and later for vet school, that's entirely not healthy. At all. Without my outlets in my art classes and residence life, I would not have made it through undergrad. I have found that even more important for vet school. I used to love school as well. Vet school has changed that entire perspective for me.

Please realize this isn't judgement on you. This is us using our life experience of other pre-health-professions students who were similar to you--and later has burn out issues. Yes, anyone can burn out; but as Coqette22 said, those most likely to burn out (and burn out hard) are those who have solely school to lean on (which is what you sounded like by your initial posts).

Also, realize you are judging us. You inferred one member was drunk simply because they mentioned having a beer. You assumed we only enjoy partying for fun. You have experienced here what you feel is hostility and have therefore projected negative assumptions about us. The fact is, no one was being hostile here and very few of us see hardcore partying as fun (and, honestly, as long as everyone is safe, there's nothing wrong with partying for fun). If you don't want assumptions made about you, that is a two way road.

None of these responses are personal attacks on you. Really. We simply didn't have enough information about you besides what is considered unhealthy attitudes for students in higher education to have. And your initial post was written in what I felt was an attempt to sound educated and impressive with flowery language and descriptors. That's extremely off putting to read to me. Those two factors is why you got the responses you did. And that's going to happen cause you're young. Look at this as a learning experience in communication as well as in "real life vet med".

I can see how might OP might have come off wrong, looking back on it now, but please understand that I write like that all of the time. I know there is no way you were to know that, but that's just how I write. My friends tease me because I literally even text like that. As I mentioned earlier, I've been reading these threads for literal years, so I was hesitant to put everything about me on the OP, as I've seen so many threads go south, as everyone told them to post in the "What are my Chances" thread instead, when the question had nothing to do with their chances. I was also hesitant to simplify my writing as I've seen people on these threads critique people's chances just on their writing in their OP. I also didn't mean to imply that I thought you all were drinking and/or partying. I was referencing the general and stereotypical behavior of most kids my age. I was not trying to attack or judge any of you.

So I just got off a 12 hour shift including a cat euthanasia and an nearly comatose chinchilla and I was going to respond, but bats basically covered it. So I'll just say: Yeah. That. I wasn't judging you as a person, just telling you how you came across especially in your initial post. My first impression was "Holy crap, kid, that's intense, take a breath." (And frankly, feel free to judge me. I'm not super concerned with what strangers on the internet think about me.)

You're kind of awesome, can I just say that? You intimidate me a bit, but I suppose that's a good life lesson for me. I really appreciate your sticking with this post to help me, even if in misinterpreting my posts I sounded snoby/arrogant. That's why I follow these forums, and I can't thank you enough for what you guys do.

I'll honestly say you guys scared me when I posted and saw the replies. I hadn't expected coddling or sugar coating, but I hadn't expected this. I'm glad I got the replies I did though. I'd rather learn these lessons from you guys now, than from professors in college.

So I'll say it again, thank you all.
 
I've read through a lot of these threads and came across one where the OP wanted to do some research after vet school and all of those who commented concurred that she would need a PhD to have any opportunities to work in research. They spoke about dual DVM and PhD program and how having both allows you to do more later in your career, including conducting studies and even teaching at a vet school. I found this interesting so I searched PhD and DVM and found a bunch of other threads that confirmed what had been said in the original one. Later on, talking to professors at UC Davis, this past week actually, they said that DVMs can only help with aspects of research and if they have any big finds they have to hand it off to someone with a PhD or a PhD and DVM. If I've misunderstood this, please let me know! I don't know if there are any concrete rules about what can and cannot be done with a DVM. Thank you for the advice! :)
To put it in very simple terms, earning a PhD generally means that you have the skill set to critically think through a problem and design a study to answer a "big picture" question. A DVM is a more clinical-based degree. The two mindsets are quite different while earning the degrees at least. I can't answer to post-DVM yet. However, you DO NOT need a DVM to conduct research or teach at a vet school. You also don't need to get them in the DVM, then PhD order. Like you've mentioned, there are DVM/PhD combined programs. Or you can be crazy like me and decide you want to go to vet school after you finish your PhD (I didn't fully realize what I wanted to do for a career until halfway through my PhD program). Or you can realize that you have a passion for something else and only get one of the degrees. I'll reiterate again though, because it's extremely important. Get involved in both aspects to decide what you truly want to do. There are pros and cons for each route.
 
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Wonderfully put @nohika Your story really resonates with me and I appreciate your sharing it. I 100% agree with what you said, and you have absolutely nailed it. Living my life, being in my situation, and dealing with what I deal with (PTSD, chronic pain, etc.) I heal through my passions, which coincidently encompass my goal for a future career. I'm becoming more and more aware and wary of burnout, and one of my tools to combat that is by looking at the positive aspects of what I can do within the field in the future. If I don't get bogged down in the present struggles, and keep my head up and looking towards the opportunities, I do alright.

Oh boy, I hope this helps ease the tension and clear up misunderstanding a bit. I really don't want to start off on the wrong foot with all of you, and I hope I can clear anything else up as well. I'm just a really passionate kid who wants to make sure she can carve out a good path to her goals. Until recently, I didn't know that to do comprehensive and involved work in research you needed a DVM as well as a PhD, and it got me thinking that if I had gone through the DVM program and thought I could do research before learning that, I would've been really screwed, so I wanted to see if there were other minuscule but crucial details like that out there.

Thank you all for your patience and input! :)

In order to succeed in research, you really, really have to be okay with the long game. For some people, knowing that maybe someday I can do something great for the field! isn't enough for them to survive that (I was one of them). At some point you end up realizing you're writing a ton of papers that no one ever really reads (with some exceptions - medical specialists, etc, might read your stuff, etc). You really, really have to love learning for the sake of learning. I was someone who thought I did.

Turns out I don't. I love to learn, but learning for the sake of learning's sake is boring. And it feels pointless. Who am I helping with these esoteric papers? No one.
(I'll also add the caveat I was in a social science field, but I have friends in bio, etc. The publishing process is shorter, etc, in bio stuff. But the length to experiments, etc, is similarly long.)

I have PTSD, anxiety, depression, yadda yadda, and it sucks. It really does. One thing that's helped me the most is being mindful. Focusing on the moment, not ten steps down the road. Yes, your life may suck atm. Unfortunately, that's a thing. But what will really get you to the goals you want to achieve is what you do each day to achieve them. And not in a "well I studied ten pages in my anatomy textbook!" way.

It can be anything like "hey, I took today off to watch Netflix to preserve my mental health!" "hey, I did well on my chem quiz!" or whatever. Shadowed, went out with friends. There's a lot more to becoming amazing than just being successful at a scholarly level.

Celebrate the little things
. Long, well-thought out, well-nuanced plans are not going to get you to the success that you want. Taking each day as it comes, enjoying it (or hating it - that's okay too) for what it is, that will. So many things will change as you grow up. Learning to roll with things that don't match your plan - that'll lead you towards success.
 
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What are the chances of getting this forum migrated to the hSDN? I feel like it would help out a lot of younger members.

Side note, it's probably a good thing you posted in this forum first. The hSDN kids are definitely not as kind when saying things. You got very polite and concise responses here.

I wish someone would've told me to cool my jets when I was a freshman in high school. I went full speed thinking I would be doing petroleum engineering and that ship sailed pretty quickly, I nearly ruined my chances of getting into vet school when I found that it was my true passion.

You're young. Branch out, do some things that make you uncomfortable, try something that's the complete opposite of your normal everyday task include.

I somehow ended up in theatre freshman year of high school and loved it. Me, a military brat that moved every 1-2 years and never spoke to anyone. It was the furthest thing from typical for me and I was apparently good at it. I would've never joined that little band of nerds willingly XD

Also might I suggest joining tumblr. The studyblr community is pretty great and the vetblr community, while tiny, is helpful. It's a good way to "meet" like-minded younger people that are extremely focused if you're introverted. Plus that's where all the fandom fun happens.

You're young (what, between 13 and 15yo), obsess over something stupid so that you can look back years later and have a good laugh.

Keep in mind that high school success =/= undergrad success =/= vet school success.
Enjoy high school and, if possible, try a few different electives. Get the best grades you can without killing yourself.
Go to an undergrad university that is the cheapest and best fit for you. Ivy Leagues don't mean squat when applying to vet school so don't go into excessive debt for a fancy name. Major in something you enjoy. Heck, double major if you need to. I was using the GI Bill and could only take courses on my degree plan so I majored in animal-science for my pre-vet classes, theatre for ****s and grins, and minored in English just because I had the credits.

You have to be your own greatest resource. College advisors vary so when they tell you something, you want to make sure you triple-check everything yourself. After switching from petroleum engineering, I ended up transferring schools, because the fancy university I was at had no idea what to do with a pre-vet major. After transferring to a school with a well established program, my advisor basically made me start undergrad all over. I was forced to take 4 years worth of classes in 2.5. Prepped me for vet school course-load but not really needed. Had I done a little research myself, I could've avoided that extra stress.

You don't have to have a 4.0 to get into vet school. You have some fumble allowance. But if you do well in AP classes, go ahead and re-take those intro level biology, chemistry, and math courses for easy As.

Try to get some shadowing experience early if you can. Make it as diverse as you can. As a minor, you'll probably start at the bottom of the food chain. My first shadowing job basically treated me as a free custodian. Humane societies and city shelters are usually really good places to get your foot in the door especially if you're trying to be a community leader. Fun fact: rich people love throwing money at sad animals. Make friends with donors in high places and so many doors will open for you -___-

If you don't have a great personality, learn to fake it. A lot of vet schools are trying to get away from just "book-smart" applicants because they don't typically make the best doctors. The good thing is that you're young and can still adapt, use that to your advantage.

You're also going to have to get some thick skin because people are ruthless when it comes to their animals. I've had people curse me out, scream in my face, spit on me, throw things (the struggle of working at a shelter that does limited intake :)) You've gotta learn to let the comments roll off. Let the situation pass, maybe consider what you could have done a bit better, then move on.
I've seen so many vets get burned out because they can't deal with the owners. Start getting tough now because trying to learn during rotations is much too late.

Develop a sweet smile and killer b***h face. Sometimes defending yourself or explaining the situation makes things 1000X harder than just saying "Okay" and leaving the rest alone.

Overall though. Work on developing yourself as a person. School cannot and should not be your only passion and joy. Just like work, no matter how much you love it, can't be the only thing in a veterinarian's life.

Build yourself up now so that you won't fail later.
 
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You're kind of awesome, can I just say that? You intimidate me a bit, but I suppose that's a good life lesson for me. I really appreciate your sticking with this post to help me, even if in misinterpreting my posts I sounded snoby/arrogant. That's why I follow these forums, and I can't thank you enough for what you guys do.

Aww, shucks. Thanks for that. :) I'm a bit cynical and generally lack a filter even in real life (I can hold my tongue for client communication purposes but it's difficult). I'm really not an intimidating person, a tad snarky perhaps, but generally I get along fine with people so I'll also apologize for how I came across.

I definitely remember being an insecure teenager and it's only now at 30 that Ive gotten to my level of "no-****s-given".

So general advice:
1) There is no rush to achieve anything. I know there's pressure to figure out your life now, but it's really not necessary. I didn't settle on vet med until I was 22. Lots of others were much later.
2) Try to cultivate at least one hobby totally separate from animals/med/science. I do cosplay and video games. This will be your coping mechanism as you get older.
3) Likewise try to have at least a few friends with different interests. Sometimes you really do need to totally disconnect from vet med.
4) Dabble in various careers. Someone mentioned getting research experience, shadowing vets, and shadow different kinds of vets too.
5) If you're looking for leadership experience, join high school clubs (or start one!), go for club officer 4H positions, etc.
6) Balance your college courses when you get there. Humanities are important too!
7) BREATHE.
 
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I'm in the camp that says to relax a little, develop diverse interests, travel and see some other cultures, and be a broadly interesting (and interested) person. That will help you as much as anything. If you already have all the experience and whatnot (you said you have strong academics, volunteering, animal and vet experience, etc.) then there is nothing else to do other than keep on keeping on. Where you go is as much luck as it is anything; that's true of just about anybody who ever accomplished anything interesting.

However, one thing stuck out to me:

(I) know the realities of veterinary medicine as a career.

and

I understand that practicing as a private practice/general practitioner vet is excellent.

Those quotes make me wonder if you really understand the realities of veterinary medicine as much as you think you do?

Veterinary medicine practice is often not excellent on a day-to-day basis. It has many, many, many just plain craptastic days.

It does have some pretty cool days, too. No doubt.

But..... I'd make sure you have the veterinary experience you think you do and aren't "imagining" it or romanticizing it or something else.

I think it's awesome for a young person to have a goal, direction, plans and to be actively working toward them. Even if it doesn't work out, the journey will pay dividends in some other way. Just stay open to other opportunities/changes.
 
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People that are the experts in their field or leaders in the industry or whatever are just normal humans. There is no magic formula for success.

My advice would be to explore your world (as cliche as that sounds) and consider all aspects of your future. You may think that veterinary medicine is your calling; what if it's agriculture outside of a veterinary setting? What if it's research or outreach or international work? If you go through these formative years with your blinders on, it can only hurt you. If you go through with an open mind, a good attitude and a strong work ethic, you will find what makes you happy and fulfills your purpose.
 
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Just a few words from a less worldly youngster. I'm entering college in three weeks. Animal science major, early acceptance to vet school IF I keep my grades up. I started exploring being a vet when I was a sophomore in hs. I wasn't sure it was what I wanted but started looking into it. I focused on having fun, playing polo and polocrosse, teaching horseback at a summer camp while also being an all-around counselor, and keeping my grades up. By my senior year I started working at a vets office and got my Certified Veterinary Assistant certificate. That was an eye opener. Having to make memorials (paw prints of dead pets) was one of my first jobs and really hard. All the cleaning and grunt-work and seeing difficult pet-owners and cases let me see that being a vet is not all "playing with animals" by any means. It really only made me more interested in what I want to do (and more sure that I really want to be an equine vet not a cat and dog vet - but that I could and will keep my options open). I am working this summer with an equine performance vet that graduated from the vet school I have been accepted to. This has been a great experience. I have mucked stalls, cleaned horses private parts for hours at a time, floated teeth, spread mulch, pressure washed a driveway, learned about radiographs, painted, built a flower bed, cleaned trailers, driven trailers, and helped at a horse jumping show. It is all part of the process. Today I want to do this and am driven to do well. I still want to have fun in college. I'm in the honors college and want to learn interdisciplinary things there and broaden what I will learn. I don't rule out changing my path but today this is what I want and what I'm striving for. I'm going to try to work a few hours a week with a professor at school but other than that study, go to football and basketball games, pre-vet club, make friends, and then study some more. Keeping the grades up and being happy are priorities. Keep your eyes open for other options but keep pursuing your dreams, keep working with vets so you see the real-world issues. I got to sit in an office staff meeting where the talked about budgets, clients, profits, etc. I learned a lot just in that meeting I hadn't thought about. There are tons of things I don't know yet. I could plan and plan but I know those things are going to change. I'm only 18. I am driven but I also want a life. Just learn a little every day and try to put stress behind you. I have a stressful life with a mentally ill sister but have finally learned to be happy with myself and go for my dreams.

I don't know if this helps any but just my perspective. As others here say, I'm just one of the kids but am learning from them.
 
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Man. I don't miss high school, really, but there's other things I miss. I miss living at home where mom would put my folded laundry on my bed ready to be put away, and would vacuum the house and my room once every week or so. I miss having her call me in for dinner. I miss relaxing with friends. I miss how easy high school was (as far as academics were concerned). I miss my group of friends (once I found them). I miss dates with my boyfriend on the weekend, and looking forward to those. Hell, I miss band. I miss the feeling of having my entire future in front of me, too.

Then came undergrad. I was focused on my goal, of course - it was and always had been veterinary school. In hindsight, I certainly don't miss studying - I miss living in the dorm (well, some parts I miss and some I don't). I miss having my class schedule all laid out... I miss the campus. I miss looking forwards to the weekends. I miss all the different types of classes I got to take - thank goodness I took more than just the science-y stuff because lord knows it's not organic chemistry that I miss. I met so many people. I worked in labs, I worked in the teaching hospital, I worked in the clinic. It took me a while, but I eventually got into vet school.

The only thing I miss from vet school are the people. I made some forever friends in there. The rest kinda sucked, honestly. And then I graduated, and now I work at a clinic. Any aspirations of greatness were squashed by struggling academically at times, and whatever was left was cast aside when I decided that MORE school was not something I wanted.

So this is *my* path, and it may not end up being all that similar to *your* path. But I spent a lot of time like, laser-eye focused on the future. Now, in hindsight, I wish I had spent more time just enjoying the nice things about where I was at the time. I based a LOT of my self-worth on the idea that I HAD to go to veterinary school, and now that I'm here (on the other side, DVM, what I had always wanted) I find that being a veterinarian doesn't really change that much. I mean, I like what I do... I have quite a bit of debt, of course... but yeah... *shrug*

Don't get so wrapped up in the idea of BEING A VET and OMG SO COOL and NOTHING MATTERS UNTIL I ACHIEVE MY DREAMS because well, a lot of other stuff happens between high school and when/if you get that acceptance letter. And waiting to enjoy life until you get into vet school is soooooooo ass backwards, it's not even funny. Like I'm shaking my head while I type this.

Enjoy the stuff that you will miss later (even if you don't know yet that you'll miss it, lol) and look forward to the next step rather than THE BIG FINISH. There's a lot of good between now and then. And maybe you find another path that clears for you, and you choose to take it instead. That's okay too.

Now go do something dumb and enjoy being 16 or whatever.
 
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(This thread makes me feel old. :coffee: )
Egg, old?

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I think everyone above has listed some amazing advice!! I would like to offer a listening ear if you ever needed one, I'd imagine we are pretty close to one another in age, I graduated HS '15. From how you described yourself above we also sound pretty similar.
For myself at least hearing different things from different age groups of people would translate differently. If you ever wanted to "start a conversation" (I'm pretty sure that's a PM, haven't used that function yet) then I'd definitely try to be as helpful as I could be!
 
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