Pre-Med to Pre-Vet

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Charlotte0900

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Hey guys,

I got involved in the sciences pretty late in the game - I graduated from college last May and have been taking my pre-med requirements ever since. I'm becoming less and less interested in human medicine, though, and would like to explore veterinary medicine as an option. I love animals, but have little to no official experience with them, which I gather is a HUGE factor during the application process to DVM schools.

I have a solid science/non-science (3.7/3.5) GPA and a competitive GRE score (1340). But where do you all recommend I start? I'd really just love to learn more about the field at this point, but I'm at a loss at what kind of animal-related jobs I might be qualified for...

Thanks for your help!!

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I'd start by shadowing a vet and see what it's all about. There's a lot more to it than just loving animals, gotta love them people as well, even when you just want to shove a pencil into their eye.

Also it'll let you know whether you like all the hustle and bustle of general practice, give you an idea of the stress you'll be facing, and so on. Basically it'll help you decide whether vet med is really for you, which is what it's there for.
 
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I agree with both of the guys but just wanted to add that if you don't like the first place you shadow/volunteer/work at, don't take it as representative of all of veterinary medicine but rather try to get experience in diverse types of practice. Not only will it look good if you decide to apply to vet school, but different types of practice will have a different work environment, and you will probably find that some may be more to your liking than others.
That said, once you try a few things out and have an idea of where you want to go, try and get most of your experience in that area.

Good luck and welcome!
 
Thanks for all your helpful comments! I will definitely work on doing some shadowing this summer. I have a feeling I'll be on here a lot in the coming months ;)
 
I recommend... *drum roll*... exploring SDN woohoo! Honestly though, when I changed my mind from pre-med to pre-vet a year and a half ago, SDN was my best resource for learning bits and pieces about the field. You're already here so I think that's a super start :)

Otherwise same advice as others; find a vet at a clinic to shadow, and work from there. Try volunteering at a shelter and seeing if you can watch in on some of the shelter vet's duties. Scope out a zoo or equine or lab animal or food animal vet etc if those interest you. Read up on advice from a few veterinary school's admissions pages (many of them list a few qualities they look for in admitted students, and if that sounds a little like you then great - and if it sounds absolutely opposite from who you are then better to figure out now than later!).

Eventually racking up some decent hours is important to show your dedication to (and thorough understanding of) the field when applying to schools, but first and foremost, the beginning experiences are really there for you to explore and ask as many questions so as to get a better idea of the various options and typical occurrences in a vet's career.
 
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