Questions & Concerns

[cubs11]

I have completed 3 courses of grad school but am unhappy in my program because I am not pursuing what I love. I have spent a lot of time thinking about the regrets I would have if I didn't pursue Veterinary Medicine, but felt locked into pursuing my master's for 2 more years for fear of disappointing my parents.

In February I applied, was accepted, and registered to take prereq classes. Now I have a huge decision to make: do i stay in the master's program? or do I focus on the prereq courses?

I'm only 24 and I know that if I pursue this Master's Degree for 2 more years (that is focused on working with Animal Police to rescue animals) that I will regret it. But I'm also afraid of walking away from this master's degree for feeling like i quit something i started and disappointing my family.

Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

***I have edited this entry since the first time i published it b/c my thoughts were jumbled and unclear...just like my thought processes recently as I stress over what to do!

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[fscth]

It probably feels like you did all that hard work for nothing with your schooling in a way, but do what you know you love. Do what you will enjoy working late hours in and won't get bored.

 

[AuburnPreVet]

In the past there have been a few threads (in the Pre-Allo forum, I believe) with people thinking of leaving un-related grad programs for med school. Your complete change of plans is going to raise an eyebrow or two, when time comes to apply - but, if you get a TON of veterinary experience between now and when you apply you will be able to show your dedication to vet med. If you don't have boat load of experience I think they are going to question your motivations moreso.

You have completed a year of the program and still have 2.5 yrs left?. . . gosh, that is a long masters program. If you only had a year or so left I would probably say to try to stick with it, but - 2.5 yrs is way to long to "tough it out" ... whew.

Follow your dreams... G'Luck.

 

[CookieBear]

If you haven't already gotten your feet wet with some veterinary experience, I'd recommend you do, before you possibly change your life plans.

Even if it's a few hours somewhere, just to make sure you are comfortable with the reality of what veterinarians do.

There have been more threads on this here, too, about where and what to do to gain veterinary experience...

And if you have already, well, go for it then. You have to follow your passions and your heart.

 

[kate_g]

As mentioned on the other thread, you don't need to complete a second bachelor's degree to do your prerequesite classes, you can just take the classes and pay per credit. But if you're already paying for full-time in a master's program... Do you think you could squeeze in your prereqs over the next 2.5 years as you finish your master's? If it's a research degree you'll want to talk it over with your advisor of course and make sure he/she is OK with you spending some extra time in class (and therefore out of lab).

Quitting a master's program after a year - even leaving something non-vet to be able to dedicate more time toward getting to vet school - might be taken as indecisive and noncommittal. You might be able to spin your story so that the adcom doesn't take it as a red flag... or you might not. No matter what it you'd be stuck having to explain yourself.

If you're counting on your parents to *pay* for vet school, then I guess you might need to worry about upsetting them. But come on, you're 24. It's your life, live it the way you want to. (If you're worried about upsetting your parents because you are really close with them, then they probably love you enough to want you to be happy and wouldn't ask you to follow a path that would leave you with regrets...)

 

[cubs11]

Due to the back injury, i only took one course last fall and two courses this fall in the grad program. So after a year, I've only completed 3 classes. My purpose for pursuing the grad degree was to work for Animal Cops to rescue animals from poor conditions.

I contemplated doing the prereqs with the grad courses, to complete what I have started but worried the length of time and money it would cost me. But do you think sticking out the grad degree for two more years is better than just focusing full time on the prereqs?

 

[cubs11]

Also, since I already have one bachelor's degree, would it hurt me if i just did the prereq. courses rather than obtain a bachelor's in a phys. science degree?

 

[AuburnPreVet]

My purpose for pursuing the grad degree was to work for Animal Cops to rescue animals from poor conditions.

Do you mind sharing what graduate program that would be?
I don't think you need any degree to be an animal control officer.

would it hurt me if i just did the prereq. courses rather than obtain a bachelor's in a phys. science degree?

You'll be simply wasting time if you pursue a 2nd degree. Just take the pre-reqs & be done with it. . . even if you're bacc is in English or another non-science realm.

PS - sorry to hear about the back injury.

 

[cubs11]

Justice Administration. (degree for ranking in the agency)

My Bachelor's is in Communication.

 

[AuburnPreVet]

That's neat. Good luck w/ everything.

 

[wivet2011]

Quitting a master's program after a year - even leaving something non-vet to be able to dedicate more time toward getting to vet school - might be taken as indecisive and noncommittal. You might be able to spin your story so that the adcom doesn't take it as a red flag... or you might not. No matter what it you'd be stuck having to explain yourself.

Due to the back injury, i only took one course last fall and two courses this fall in the grad program. So after a year, I've only completed 3 classes. My purpose for pursuing the grad degree was to work for Animal Cops to rescue animals from poor conditions.

Maybe not a red flag in this case since both are animal related, just in slightly different directions. I would explain up front what your original intents were with pursuing the masters and then why you decided to go pre-vet (i.e. felt you could do more to help animals as a vet, etc). But like CookieBear said, if you haven't already, get some vet experience before making any huge decisions. If with the experience you still want to be a vet, then I think it also shows to the adcoms that you really thought about your decision and didn't just change career paths on a whim.

Good luck

 

[sonnyman28]

After attending law school for over a year, I had the same thoughts as you. I was also concerned about what my parents would think. If you really feel strongly about this career and realize this is your entire life we're talking about, simply pursue it. I will be starting at the age of 25 and was 24 the time I left law school. Age should not be an issue in this case, especially if you do not have too many financial responsibilities outside yourself. In terms of motivation, adcoms were extremely interested in my story and were also appealed by the fact that I tried other options and truly found myself within the field. If motivated, this may be a stressful , yet most satisfying experience of your life. Every morning is different when you are comfortable with yourself and your choice of career. The happiness helps feed the motivation. If you make this decision, make sure you have a clear plan. Meaning, have all of your semesters/quarters planned out and don't hesitiate to volunteer for any recommmendation. With certain time constraints, volunteering puts less pressure on you in terms of hourly work while helping you focus on GOOD GRADES! Therefore, if you were to leave your masters program to complete pre-reqs, it is definitely understandable. At the same time, don't feel all this time pressure, b/c if you were to complete your masters, atleast you'll have a back up degree of some sort. I guess my advice didn't exactly help you choose either/or, but trust me, if you were to make this move, you're not alone! Take care and pm me anytime.

 

[clawsbeatskin]

Are you counting on any of the people associated with your Masters program for a letter of recommendation? If you quit, they will most likely refuse to write one or write a bad one. If they have already agreed to write one or have already written one, remember that they can always rescind their recommendation. I had a friend who was accepted to med school right before his thesis was finished, decided to just not write the thesis and his major prof rescinded his letter. The med school rescinded his offer of acceptance.

 

[cubs11]

no i will have LOR's from professors in my pre-req (pre-vet) courses, employers, and volunteer positions.

 

[OceanAngel]

A year and half ago I was the most unhappy and upset I had ever been in my life because I knew without a doubt I had made the wrong decision about my professional career. I was in a Ph.D. program and geneticsand though I like both research and genetics it was not my passion and was never going to be. I had always wanted to go to vet school and yet stumbled backwards into research leaving no timefor vet med so I just thought I would pursue vet med later.

However, as soon as I started grad school I started volunteering on the side with vets and also taking pre-reqs for certain schools. I quit my program after only a semester. This was by far the most difficult decision I had to make, and I didn't hesitate to talk about it in my essays and interviews with vet school. I made sure they saw it more as dedication than as a red flag. I was worried about what my family would think, but they realized probably before me that I needed to pursue vet med.

I was able to get almost all of my experience and pre-reqs done in 10 months. Don't get me wrong I worked an insane amount and I had some previous experience, but it can be done.

For me, I was in a Ph.D. program so this would have been a lot longer and would have meant I prob. would have started vet school around 29 or 30 and I didn't want to do that. In your case it might be easier to do what you need to do to get admitted, but while staying your master's program. If a master's had been an option in my program I probably would have stayed in while doing my pre-reqs and experience.

Sorry for the long post! Good luck with your decision, but remember it is so worth it to be happy and have no regrets regardless if you have to take a step back to get there.

 

[cubs11]

Thanks for the encouragement. I especially took your last sentence to heart. It's so true. It's important to just totally commit yourself to what you want to do, never look back, and focus on your passion even if you have to let go of somethings and backtrack in order to get there!

 

[bostonpet]

i've thought a lot about going back to vet school for the past year or so, and didn't decide to take action only until recently. i wouldn't even call it taking a step back. it's tough figuring out what you feel passionately about. some people never do. if it's moving a step forward to personal fulfillment, go for it! after everything you see on the news today, i think it's great how enthusiastic the people who have posted here are. it's not something you find often. it's going to take me a long time to get where i want to be, but i think it will be very much well worth the struggle.

 

[Nexx]

Keep in mind as well that the Vet schools like to see diversity, not only in the individual but their classes as well.

That also can mean not having 80 Bio majors in their acceptance pool. Having a degree other than bio/chem/etc can end up setting you apart from other applicants as long as you can do reasonably well in your pre-reqs.

I know someone who graduated from UF back in 2004 (I think) with a degree in criminal justice and was accepted to Tuskegee this year on his first try.

 

[cubs11]

nexx and bostonpet, i couldn't agree with you more. i have been inspired by so many people on here. from those who have pursued their dream since they were a teenager to those who are just entering med/vet/dental school in their 40's...i think it's awesome that this forum is a large group of people pursuing their individual goals to do what they are truly passionate about!