RANT HERE thread

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I have been feeling very discouraged lately...

I have never been a strong writer, so I wasn’t expecting the essays to be easy for me. But I cannot put my thoughts into sentences, and I can’t make them sound intelligent either. I’m terrified the essays will bring my application down. My boyfriend and my sister offered to read them and give feedback, but I just can’t get anything on the page to give to them to proofread.

Also, I work at a clinic where two other girls are applying this cycle as well. I’m friendly with them, but honestly they intimidate me. I can’t stop thinking about what they have that I don’t, how they’re way more outgoing than me and will do better at interviews, and how they constantly talk with the doctors about their applications. I’m very introverted, and I don’t like talking about myself. I’ll only talk about myself if somebody asks me, and it’s just because I don’t feel the need to share stuff with everyone around me. I’ll ask the doctors questions when I’m helping them with patients, but I have never talked to them about the schools I’m applying to, my experiences, my grades, anything like that. And I’ve just noticed the other girls are more outgoing and talkative and talk about themselves a lot more, so it seems like I probably don’t care as much because I don’t talk about it. I’m afraid that because of that, it makes the doctors think I’m not serious about vet school or I’m not putting as much into it. I want to sit down with the doctors individually and just let them know that this whole process scares me because there’s a chance I could be rejected but that I still want this more than anything. I love learning and I want to go back to school, and if I don’t get in anywhere I want to go for my masters because I just want to keep learning. It’s just that the application process is really hard for me because I am comparing myself to everyone else and making myself discouraged because there are so many people that are better than me who will probably get in and I might not. I don’t feel like listing my stats, and they’re not bad, but I just haven’t had as many opportunities readily available throughout my life and it seems like everyone has so much more than me and it sucks. It doesn’t mean I won’t be a great vet or that I don’t want this, it just means I didn’t start at a young age or that I don’t have the money to do any unique trips abroad or work an unpaid internship. It’s also really discouraging to know that everyone on here always says to have more varied experiences, or go back and retake classes to bring up your gpa, when it’s very difficult to find varied experiences in some regions, and it costs a lot of money to retake classes just to go to vet school to be in even more debt. It sucks that I have to compare myself to others in order to motivate myself to make my app better, but in some ways it’s just not possible. It sucks that the two girls I work with might get in and I might not and then I would have to deal with the pain of watching them move away and start school and I would still be here living at home saving up my money for another application cycle.

Long rant over, but this is a thread for that so don’t come at me.
 
I have been feeling very discouraged lately...

I have never been a strong writer, so I wasn’t expecting the essays to be easy for me. But I cannot put my thoughts into sentences, and I can’t make them sound intelligent either. I’m terrified the essays will bring my application down. My boyfriend and my sister offered to read them and give feedback, but I just can’t get anything on the page to give to them to proofread.

Also, I work at a clinic where two other girls are applying this cycle as well. I’m friendly with them, but honestly they intimidate me. I can’t stop thinking about what they have that I don’t, how they’re way more outgoing than me and will do better at interviews, and how they constantly talk with the doctors about their applications. I’m very introverted, and I don’t like talking about myself. I’ll only talk about myself if somebody asks me, and it’s just because I don’t feel the need to share stuff with everyone around me. I’ll ask the doctors questions when I’m helping them with patients, but I have never talked to them about the schools I’m applying to, my experiences, my grades, anything like that. And I’ve just noticed the other girls are more outgoing and talkative and talk about themselves a lot more, so it seems like I probably don’t care as much because I don’t talk about it. I’m afraid that because of that, it makes the doctors think I’m not serious about vet school or I’m not putting as much into it. I want to sit down with the doctors individually and just let them know that this whole process scares me because there’s a chance I could be rejected but that I still want this more than anything. I love learning and I want to go back to school, and if I don’t get in anywhere I want to go for my masters because I just want to keep learning. It’s just that the application process is really hard for me because I am comparing myself to everyone else and making myself discouraged because there are so many people that are better than me who will probably get in and I might not. I don’t feel like listing my stats, and they’re not bad, but I just haven’t had as many opportunities readily available throughout my life and it seems like everyone has so much more than me and it sucks. It doesn’t mean I won’t be a great vet or that I don’t want this, it just means I didn’t start at a young age or that I don’t have the money to do any unique trips abroad or work an unpaid internship. It’s also really discouraging to know that everyone on here always says to have more varied experiences, or go back and retake classes to bring up your gpa, when it’s very difficult to find varied experiences in some regions, and it costs a lot of money to retake classes just to go to vet school to be in even more debt. It sucks that I have to compare myself to others in order to motivate myself to make my app better, but in some ways it’s just not possible. It sucks that the two girls I work with might get in and I might not and then I would have to deal with the pain of watching them move away and start school and I would still be here living at home saving up my money for another application cycle.

Long rant over, but this is a thread for that so don’t come at me.
So, remember how you said you can't put your thoughts into sentences? YOU JUST DID 🙂 in this rant, you eloquently and intelligently talked about yourself and how you feel. You are a better writer than you think! Here's what I would suggest to you to help you with your essays: word vomit.
If you have a few ideas for the essay topic, word vomit all over the freaking page! Basically write out the essay as if you didn't have any of these crazy character restrictions. Then, go back, and start cutting stuff or put it on a Google Doc and let other people make suggestions on what to cut. When you word vomit, the essay has a voice to it because it's how you would talk! In this rant above, you had a very distinctive voice! So use it! And, after everything that can or should be cut is, then start finding those words that can be combined; go to rhymezone.com and you can type in a few words and get some synonymous words that you can use to condense your essay. You got this 🙂 keep going! And stop comparing yourself to others!! Focus on you! Your application is what they're looking at and most of the time we have no idea what admissions committees are specifically looking for!! If it helps you, maybe call an admissions officer and ask to speak with them about your application 🙂 also, you should set aside those vets you work with and speak to them privately about how you feel. I bet you'll find at least 1 who feels the same way! Good luck!! 🙂

Sent from my SM-G900T using SDN mobile
 
I have been feeling very discouraged lately...

I have never been a strong writer, so I wasn’t expecting the essays to be easy for me. But I cannot put my thoughts into sentences, and I can’t make them sound intelligent either. I’m terrified the essays will bring my application down. My boyfriend and my sister offered to read them and give feedback, but I just can’t get anything on the page to give to them to proofread.

Also, I work at a clinic where two other girls are applying this cycle as well. I’m friendly with them, but honestly they intimidate me. I can’t stop thinking about what they have that I don’t, how they’re way more outgoing than me and will do better at interviews, and how they constantly talk with the doctors about their applications. I’m very introverted, and I don’t like talking about myself. I’ll only talk about myself if somebody asks me, and it’s just because I don’t feel the need to share stuff with everyone around me. I’ll ask the doctors questions when I’m helping them with patients, but I have never talked to them about the schools I’m applying to, my experiences, my grades, anything like that. And I’ve just noticed the other girls are more outgoing and talkative and talk about themselves a lot more, so it seems like I probably don’t care as much because I don’t talk about it. I’m afraid that because of that, it makes the doctors think I’m not serious about vet school or I’m not putting as much into it. I want to sit down with the doctors individually and just let them know that this whole process scares me because there’s a chance I could be rejected but that I still want this more than anything. I love learning and I want to go back to school, and if I don’t get in anywhere I want to go for my masters because I just want to keep learning. It’s just that the application process is really hard for me because I am comparing myself to everyone else and making myself discouraged because there are so many people that are better than me who will probably get in and I might not. I don’t feel like listing my stats, and they’re not bad, but I just haven’t had as many opportunities readily available throughout my life and it seems like everyone has so much more than me and it sucks. It doesn’t mean I won’t be a great vet or that I don’t want this, it just means I didn’t start at a young age or that I don’t have the money to do any unique trips abroad or work an unpaid internship. It’s also really discouraging to know that everyone on here always says to have more varied experiences, or go back and retake classes to bring up your gpa, when it’s very difficult to find varied experiences in some regions, and it costs a lot of money to retake classes just to go to vet school to be in even more debt. It sucks that I have to compare myself to others in order to motivate myself to make my app better, but in some ways it’s just not possible. It sucks that the two girls I work with might get in and I might not and then I would have to deal with the pain of watching them move away and start school and I would still be here living at home saving up my money for another application cycle.

Long rant over, but this is a thread for that so don’t come at me.

I wholeheartedly agree about the word vomit strategy. Just write things down, even if it's just part of an idea, partial sentences, not in any particular logical or coherent order. Just start writing. An imperfect rough draft that is done and can be edited is better than a perfect essay that never gets written. Play your own game. Don't worry about everyone else. You might get in this year or you might not -- agonizing about it now isn't going to do you any good; try to use that anxious energy to make steps toward giving yourself the best shot. Maybe even consider talking to the other two girls about the application process. Talk to the doctors about it. Everyone applying is anxious about it, however gregarious and outgoing they seem. I had a couple coworkers that got into vet school the same year that I did, and both with them and on SDN, it was nice to have folks to commiserate with about the whole process, or check in like "I'm doing this, what are you doing?"
 
I had massive writers block when I wrote mine (I had to write over 10 for all the different schools i applied to) so I actually wrote the idea of the prompts on sticky notes, sat, and took a bubble bath while staring at the prompts. I brought a pen with me and I would write down everything that popped in my head. A lot of ideas were terrible, but I got a couple good ones for each prompt that I was able to go with!
 
I'm on my phone so ignore typos . . .

I have never been a strong writer, so I wasn’t expecting the essays to be easy for me. But I cannot put my thoughts into sentences, and I can’t make them sound intelligent either. I’m terrified the essays will bring my application down. My boyfriend and my sister offered to read them and give feedback, but I just can’t get anything on the page to give to them to proofread.

I love to write and I do it all the time for fun, but statements of purpose and letters of intent SUCK. For me, for a lot of people. You have to package your experiences, knowledge, and goals into a short essay and tie it up neatly with a bow. That's a HUGE task.

What works for me sometimes - start backwards. Beginnings are hard, so skip your first paragraph or first few paragraphs. Write the conclusion first. Make bullet points of things you might want to include. Give yourself time, but also a deadline. Tell yourself 'I'm going to have a full draft finished on Saturday, even if the whole thing sucks.' (I have to do this, too. Editing can't happen until you get words on the page, and editing is where the garbage you force out can turn into a great essay. Editing and rewriting and editing. First draft ALWAYS SUCK. You are allowed to suck. It will get better. The most difficult thing is getting started.)

And take people up on their offers to read it. Other people will catch typos you don't, but they can also tell you what they think works and how you might change the things that don't. It is so helpful to have proof readers. I have friends doing master's degrees in creative writing, and even at that level they get people to look over most of their work before they submit it. Actually, they get people to look at multiple versions of the same essay or poem as they edit and improve it. I'd be happy to read over your drafts if you want an anonymous reader.

I love learning and I want to go back to school, and if I don’t get in anywhere I want to go for my masters because I just want to keep learning.

Would a master's be for a backup career, or would you use it to improve your application and try for vet school again? If you can see another career that you'd be happy in, do that instead. I'm going to be poor as **** while I'm in grad school, but I won't have debt at the end of it, and that's a huge part of why I'm choosing my 'backup plan' over trying again for vet school. Just something to think about.

I want to sit down with the doctors individually and just let them know that this whole process scares me because there’s a chance I could be rejected but that I still want this more than anything.

Are they writing LORs for you? Are you worried they won't be strong letters?

Starting that conversation could be as easy as picking a time when you're working together and would normally ask questions about the case. (If it's appropriate - obviously the middle of an emergency or tricky surgery is not the time. You know what I mean.) You can say 'Dr X, I'm nervous about being rejected, do you have any advice about what I can do if I don't get in this year.' This tells them that it's important to you. If you're already planning how to improve and try again, they will know you're serious about it. You don't need to share your gpa or gre scores. Ask about what the application was like when they applied, what advice they have from their own experience, etc. You don't need to sit down formally but you can definitely do that, too. Say you have some questions about applying, and you'd love to sit down with them sometime that's convenient for them and talk about it.

It doesn’t mean I won’t be a great vet or that I don’t want this, it just means I didn’t start at a young age or that I don’t have the money to do any unique trips abroad or work an unpaid internship. It’s also really discouraging to know that everyone on here always says to have more varied experiences, or go back and retake classes to bring up your gpa, when it’s very difficult to find varied experiences in some regions, and it costs a lot of money to retake classes just to go to vet school to be in even more debt. It sucks that I have to compare myself to others in order to motivate myself to make my app better, but in some ways it’s just not possible. It sucks that the two girls I work with might get in and I might not and then I would have to deal with the pain of watching them move away and start school and I would still be here living at home saving up my money for another application cycle.

Expensive trips to South America or Africa don't translate into extra special application points. Don't stress about that. By varied experiences, a lot of times we mean just experiencing different hospitals so your whole picture of vet med isn't based on how one clinic does things. You don't have to shadow ER docs or whatever if there's no facility like that near you. It can be as simple as working with/shadowing a small animal vet and a large animal vet to compare the two jobs, or even just experiencing multiple small animal clinics. When I was applying, I had a lot of hours at one clinic and very few (<30) at a large animal hospital, and then a little experience (about 100 hours) in the specialty I wanted to go into. The adcom said my experience was great. That was it - just three different veterinary experiences, and two with very few hours. You don't have to have seen everything under the sun to have good experiences.

I've been through two vet school application cycles and I've watched friends get in and start school without me. (And I was working at the vet school, so I was passing them in the hall and working with vet students every day. That was really difficult at first.) It sucks, but it's not the end of the world. If you are rejected, do a file review, learn how to improve. Make a plan and work towards it. I've had two gap years between finishing undergrad and starting school. I wouldn't have planned that (and the rejections were really, really hard to go through) but I feel really lucky now for things to have gone this way. I worked an awesome job for two years, and I wouldn't trade my time there for anything. I made some great connections. I'm going to grad school now and I'll be doing awesome research, and I would never have stumbled onto this exciting path if I hadn't been rejected a couple times along the way.

Hang in there! Applications are stressful but they're not a make it or break it thing. I've been through 4 (2 vet school and 2 grad school!), but I just needed that one acceptance. You'll get there, too.
 
Would a master's be for a backup career, or would you use it to improve your application and try for vet school again? If you can see another career that you'd be happy in, do that instead. I'm going to be poor as **** while I'm in grad school, but I won't have debt at the end of it, and that's a huge part of why I'm choosing my 'backup plan' over trying again for vet school. Just something to think about.

I’m very interested in pathology, ophthalmology, and endocrinology. I have thought about specializing in one of those areas of veterinary medicine, but honestly all that schooling and all the debt in the end is terrifying. If I don’t get in this cycle, for a backup career I’d probably want to go into a masters program in an area of medicine that I’m interested in and maybe work in a lab. Maybe a PhD afterwards so I can move up in the field. Idk, I have pretty specific interests and I’m not sure if programs like that exist anywhere other than in my mind. I just don’t want to be a human doctor, please no, I don’t care if they make more money, I can’t deal with human patients. I think I would be happy working in a lab somewhere, but ideally I would want to be a veterinarian
 
I’m very interested in pathology, ophthalmology, and endocrinology. I have thought about specializing in one of those areas of veterinary medicine, but honestly all that schooling and all the debt in the end is terrifying. If I don’t get in this cycle, for a backup career I’d probably want to go into a masters program in an area of medicine that I’m interested in and maybe work in a lab. Maybe a PhD afterwards so I can move up in the field. Idk, I have pretty specific interests and I’m not sure if programs like that exist anywhere other than in my mind. I just don’t want to be a human doctor, please no, I don’t care if they make more money, I can’t deal with human patients. I think I would be happy working in a lab somewhere, but ideally I would want to be a veterinarian

Hey, I was interested in pathology too! I worked in necropsy for two years and it was such a great experience. I loved every part of my job.

Sounds like research is definitely something to keep in mind if you decide against vet school. Don't get too freaked out thinking that this one application is going to decide your fate. It's not. If you're rejected, you can try again. At least half of the pathologists I know didn't get in their first time. (One did a MS before going to vet school, and now she's doing a combined residency/PhD!) If you decide not to go, you have so many other options. Take it one step at a time. Get your essays written, get your application submitted. You've got this. 🙂
 
So my sister said she wanted to go to New Orleans with me when I was going for IVECCS. So I booked us a hotel room as I figured that'd be the easiest way for us to both have access to a room at all times given that we'd be doing different things. Asked her today about her flights and learned that she may not be coming with me as she may be breaking her lease in October and she's worried about going away that weekend now.

I understand things happen, but it's frustrating to know that I could have gotten an AirBnb for just myself for half of what I paid for the hotel room.

ETA: Also, since when do you have to pay for overhead bin access? Like wtf airlines.
 
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So my sister said she wanted to go to New Orleans with me when I was going for IVECCS. So I booked us a hotel room as I figured that'd be the easiest way for us to both have access to a room at all times given that we'd be doing different things. Asked her today about her flights and learned that she may not be coming with me as she may be breaking her lease in October and she's worried about going away that weekend now.

I understand things happen, but it's frustrating to know that I could have gotten an AirBnb for just myself for half of what I paid for the hotel room.

ETA: Also, since when do you have to pay for overhead bin access? Like wtf airlines.
That’s annoying, I’m sorry 🙁 is there a possibility of cancelling the hotel room?

Budget airlines, man. Charge you for everything. The bigger lines you get carry on free.
 
That’s annoying, I’m sorry 🙁 is there a possibility of cancelling the hotel room?

Budget airlines, man. Charge you for everything. The bigger lines you get carry on free.

That was for United. Didn't think they were considered budget.

And yes, I probably can but would have to look at when the cut off date is for reimbursement. Plus, if she does go then we may be back in a situation of figuring out keys and whatnot.
 
That was for United. Didn't think they were considered budget.

And yes, I probably can but would have to look at when the cut off date is for reimbursement. Plus, if she does go then we may be back in a situation of figuring out keys and whatnot.
They have a “basic economy” now that doesn’t include overhead bin usage. Is very annoying.
 
They have a “basic economy” now that doesn’t include overhead bin usage. Is very annoying.

Ah. Okay. I'd say the bulk of my flying has been either international or on Southwest, so I'm not up to date on these things. Good thing google told me about that otherwise I would have been screwed and really pissed to be paying a fee for that. Found an American flight that included it and worked out well and was cheaper.
 
Ah. Okay. I'd say the bulk of my flying has been either international or on Southwest, so I'm not up to date on these things. Good thing google told me about that otherwise I would have been screwed and really pissed to be paying a fee for that. Found an American flight that included it and worked out well and was cheaper.
I only know cause United always looks like the cheapest option for me when I fly out of the airport by school, but then it’s really $70 more with baggage 😛

Glad you found something cheaper!
 
Hey, I was interested in pathology too! I worked in necropsy for two years and it was such a great experience. I loved every part of my job.

How did you get involved in necropsies? I’m so interested in that, but I can’t find anything i can get involved in without already having a few years of lab experience.
 
Oh additional rant. I went to an outdoor wedding this past weekend and it was fun and all except I am now covered in bug bites that won't stop itching. There are literally at least 10 on each of my feet as well as some on my legs and lower back since my dress had an open back...
 
That was for United. Didn't think they were considered budget.

And yes, I probably can but would have to look at when the cut off date is for reimbursement. Plus, if she does go then we may be back in a situation of figuring out keys and whatnot.

They have a “basic economy” now that doesn’t include overhead bin usage. Is very annoying.
Ah yes I forgot about basic economy. Delta has that too. Not sure if you get bin space or not but I think yes???
 
Ah yes I forgot about basic economy. Delta has that too. Not sure if you get bin space or not but I think yes???
They don’t specifically say you don’t, but you get to bring one bag that’s smaller than a full carry on. So when I go I bring just a backpack. They make you put it under the seat. If there’s extra space in the overhead compartments they’ll let you put it up there but that doesn’t always happen
 
How did you get involved in necropsies? I’m so interested in that, but I can’t find anything i can get involved in without already having a few years of lab experience.
I emailed the head of the diagnostic lab and asked to shadow. I went on my day off every week that summer, and then shadowed again the next summer, and then I was offered a PT job there. It has literally been my favorite job ever. 🙂
 
🙁

Are you on a private well or city water?

Don't know how I didn't see this, other than running around in poor cell service areas.

The inlaws are on a artisan well, so never supposed to run out. When I got home the next night, hubby said he had left the water on to the goat pen... for 18 hours straight.
 
Cujo is another media example. Clearly we just need more books made into blockbusters about rabid dogs

I had a professor direct us to the YouTube videos of rabid people and animals in other parts of the world if we ever needed to explain it. One of those is enough to make me never wanna look again.
 
Starting to get a little bitter about this forum. I feel like everyone keeps asking the same exact questions and not wanting to actually listen to the answers because by-golly they know better than anyone else.

It’s the same exact questions.

Everytime.

@DVMDream am I becoming you??? Is this the first step in cynicism??
 
Starting to get a little bitter about this forum. I feel like everyone keeps asking the same exact questions and not wanting to actually listen to the answers because by-golly they know better than anyone else.

It’s the same exact questions.

Everytime.

@DVMDream am I becoming you??? Is this the first step in cynicism??

Welcome, young padawan.
 
Starting to get a little bitter about this forum. I feel like everyone keeps asking the same exact questions and not wanting to actually listen to the answers because by-golly they know better than anyone else.

It’s the same exact questions.

Everytime.

@DVMDream am I becoming you??? Is this the first step in cynicism??
Think of it as training for a good number of clients. 🙂
 
Starting to get a little bitter about this forum. I feel like everyone keeps asking the same exact questions and not wanting to actually listen to the answers because by-golly they know better than anyone else.

It’s the same exact questions.

Everytime.

@DVMDream am I becoming you??? Is this the first step in cynicism??

Slowly you read fewer and fewer threads... I can’t set a single toe in the ‘what are my chances’ thread because it makes me twitchy. It’s been 10 years and I’m tired of answering the same question - sometimes something legitimately annoying and sometimes just a new person with an old question.

And some questions I don’t even know the answer to any more...

Meh.
 
Starting to get a little bitter about this forum. I feel like everyone keeps asking the same exact questions and not wanting to actually listen to the answers because by-golly they know better than anyone else.

It’s the same exact questions.

Everytime.

@DVMDream am I becoming you??? Is this the first step in cynicism??
well, now you know why LIS has left.
 
Slowly you read fewer and fewer threads... I can’t set a single toe in the ‘what are my chances’ thread because it makes me twitchy. It’s been 10 years and I’m tired of answering the same question - sometimes something legitimately annoying and sometimes just a new person with an old question.

And some questions I don’t even know the answer to any more...

Meh.
yeah, I try to focus on other questions.
 
Yup, I have a good one from today that needs either strangulation or a good brick to the head.
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Slowly you read fewer and fewer threads... I can’t set a single toe in the ‘what are my chances’ thread because it makes me twitchy. It’s been 10 years and I’m tired of answering the same question - sometimes something legitimately annoying and sometimes just a new person with an old question.

And some questions I don’t even know the answer to any more...

Meh.

Yeah, I don't look at the what are my chances. And I'm too old now to recognize what a good or bad GRE score is since they changed the scoring. VMCAS has also changed a bit, the sucking part still exists, but a lot of the formatting, essays, services, etc have changed. I'm kind of a ***** anymore.
 
Slowly you read fewer and fewer threads... I can’t set a single toe in the ‘what are my chances’ thread because it makes me twitchy. It’s been 10 years and I’m tired of answering the same question - sometimes something legitimately annoying and sometimes just a new person with an old question.

And some questions I don’t even know the answer to any more...

Meh.
I ignored all 2022 threads about 6 months ago for that reason. It’s just frustrating sometimes.
 
I ignored all 2022 threads about 6 months ago for that reason. It’s just frustrating sometimes.
I only ever read the school-specific class threads that had to do with schools i was applying to or my school. And my school's threads are always inactive if one is even made, so mostly I ignore those threads entirely lol
 
Crappy day at work. My shift was from 8-6 pm. Saw at least 14 ERs myself as a team of 6+ throughout my shift. Only wrote 5 of my records while at work despite leaving at 10:30 pm. Didn't get any of my records started until probably 7:30/8pm. Oh, and I forgot all my food on the kitchen table so the only thing I ate besides breakfast was a protein bar until I could run out to the grocery store. Summer weekends here are horrid.
 
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