Recs for classes to take in preparation for vet school

[PenguinPal506]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey guys! I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations as to which classes I can take so i can gain more knowledge for vet school. Now that i finished with school i have a lot of time on my hands! I was thinking maybe an anatomy class or something along those lines. Any recs would be appreciative!!

 

[WildZoo]

If you've been accepted into vet school already...I'd recommend spending some time on your hobbies and giving yourself a nice break. There really isn't any need to take any extra classes to prep for vet school, if the schools thought you needed that they would include those classes in their pre-reqs. Relax, do fun stuff, especially if you're like a lot of people who have been in school nonstop for most of their lives, I urge you to take advantage of this time off before you hit the ground running again. It'll do you a lot more good than an anatomy class 🙂

 

[supershorty]

Learn what the best way to relax and recharge is for you. It might be reading, or playing an intramural sport, or volunteering, the possibilities are endless, but learn what gives you that needed downtime and make a habit of doing it regularly. That will be more helpful to you in vet school than trying to cram some extra knowledge into your head before going.

 

[ajs513]

For you: save money and don’t worry too much about getting ahead now that you’re already done school. Relax and enjoy your time off.

For others looking at this thread who still have a year or more of school left (and are full time so extra classes don’t cost more): if you can take classes that will allow you to be exempt from them in vet school, do that. Penn, for example, lets you test out of histology and developmental biology if you’ve taken them before. Other schools probably do the same for some classes, but obviously that would depend on the school.
Edit: apparently most other schools don’t actually let you get exempt from any classes. Either way, if you can take a class that you’ll take in vet school and fulfill an undergrad requirement, might as well do it.

Even if you can’t test out, I personally felt that taking comparative anatomy, physiology, parasitology, genetics, microbiology, and a bunch of animal science classes helped immensely. Others have said taking immunology was a big help, and I’m sure they’re right.

My advice is basically this: if you can take these classes to fulfill undergrad requirements and it’s not going to kill you to do it, then definitely do it. If it’s too much trouble and detracts from your ability to do well in other classes that you need to graduate, then don’t do it. People like me who took a lot of these classes in undergrad have found it to be pretty helpful so far. Most people haven’t and do just fine.

 

[battie]

Other schools probably do the same for some classes, but obviously that would depend on the school.

For future students, this isn't a thing at Illinois. Penn is the only school I've heard of this happening at, to be honest. But it's been several years at this point since my application cycle.

 

[deleted676737]

For future students, this isn't a thing at Illinois. Penn is the only school I've heard of this happening at, to be honest. But it's been several years at this point since my application cycle.

I think you’re correct that it is probably a Penn-only thing. I’ve never heard of this happening at ISU, either.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

For you: save money and don’t worry too much about getting ahead now that you’re already done school. Relax and enjoy your time off.

For others looking at this thread who still have a year or more of school left (and are full time so extra classes don’t cost more): if you can take classes that will allow you to be exempt from them in vet school, do that. Penn, for example, lets you test out of histology and developmental biology if you’ve taken them before. Other schools probably do the same for some classes, but obviously that would depend on the school.

Even if you can’t test out, I personally felt that taking comparative anatomy, physiology, parasitology, genetics, microbiology, and a bunch of animal science classes helped immensely. Others have said taking immunology was a big help, and I’m sure they’re right.

My advice is basically this: if you can take these classes to fulfill undergrad requirements and it’s not going to kill you to do it, then definitely do it. If it’s too much trouble and detracts from your ability to do well in other classes that you need to graduate, then don’t do it. People like me who took a lot of these classes in undergrad have found it to be pretty helpful so far. Most people haven’t and do just fine.

This is definitely not a thing at Ohio State.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Advice from a current third year that's currently burnt to a crisp (so maybe take this advice with a grain of salt), if you've been accepted and you are done with classes, enjoy it. Don't study anything. Enjoy hobbies/family/friends/pets. Try to forget vet school is even a thing. Because it'll come for you soon enough and then it'll become your life and soon you'll have to dig yourself of the all consuming hole that it is to remind yourself to be human and enjoy things beyond vet med.

Actually that's my real advice: don't let vet med, under any circumstances, become your whole life. You deserve better.

I didn't use to be this cynical😉

 

[finnickthedog]

While it can't hurt to take a few of the classes that have been mentioned if they fulfill requirements or whatever, I wouldn't go out of your way to take anything extra in preparation. I never took an anatomy class before vet school but excelled in anatomy with minimal studying. Meanwhile I did take histology in undergrad (and did well) but still struggled through histo when I got to vet school.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

While it can't hurt to take a few of the classes that have been mentioned if they fulfill requirements or whatever, I wouldn't go out of your way to take anything extra in preparation. I never took an anatomy class before vet school but excelled in anatomy with minimal studying. Meanwhile I did take histology in undergrad (and did well) but still struggled through histo when I got to vet school.

seconded as someone who never took anatomy in undergrad but did really well in vet school. 'tis possible

 

[battie]

The class I'm the most thankful that I took: typing class. No joke. I can type between 90 and 110 words per minute. Saves so much time.

Class I wish I'd taken: cooking. I live off of hamburger helper and pizza. It's a major life regret

 

[supershorty]

For others looking at this thread who still have a year or more of school left (and are full time so extra classes don’t cost more): if you can take classes that will allow you to be exempt from them in vet school, do that. Penn, for example, lets you test out of histology and developmental biology if you’ve taken them before. Other schools probably do the same for some classes, but obviously that would depend on the school.

To join the chorus, this is not a thing at Minnesota either.

You CAN test out of some clinical skills labs, though.

 

[johnsmith123]

Mechanisms of disease (general pathology) set me up better than any class I've ever taken. It'll prepare you for physiology and all your pathology classes. You're probably fine taking a human one if your school doesn't offer an animal version since the basics are all the same between species.

 

[ajs513]

Edited my original comment. I didn’t realize that testing out of classes isn’t a thing at most vet schools. Either way, I still stand by the idea that if you can fulfill an undergrad requirement by taking a class you’ll take again in vet school, you can really only benefit. At worst you learn all new info in vet school but still fulfill a requirement. At best (if you can’t test out) you learned a bunch of stuff that’ll come up again and it’ll take a bit of the load off of you. I was able to avoid restudying around a third of my lectures in biochem, histology, and anatomy because I had learned a lot of the info in undergrad. This was really helpful when we had 5 exams in a week and a half for finals, and I could focus on the stuff I didn’t know instead of memorizing everything about the nephron. It also came in handy when we were learning the GI anatomy of the horse in situ and the group before me had put everything back upside down and backwards. It’s a bit like having under-inflated floaties and being tossed into the deep end of a pool. You’re still drowning, but a little bit less.

But I also will reiterate what I and everyone else already said: if you’re done with school, be done with school. Don’t bother spending money and taking up your free time before vet school to do any of this. It’s not worth the small benefit.

 

[SkiOtter]

Class I wish I'd taken: cooking. I live off of hamburger helper and pizza. It's a major life regret

Deeeefinitely saw how many boxes of hamburger helper you have in your cabinet last week 🤣