Should I go to Ross? or should I pursue a different path

[sodasteve]

Hey so I was hoping I could get some advice on my current situation. I am 25 years old, and I recently got accepted into the pre vet program at Ross. I have always wanted to be a vet but unfortunately I never put in the effort when I was in college to get a high enough GPA to get accepted into a school in the U.S. I am confident in myself to succeed in vet school if I were to go for it, however, that is not my issue. With the pre vet program costing 18k in addition to the already extremely high tuition at Ross I could easily walk away from this owing 300-400k in loans. I am currently struggling to make a decision if I should go through the difficulties that come with going to Ross or If I should pursue another career all together such as being a Pharmacist. From what I have seen Pharmacy school would cost around 150-200k, they have a higher overall average salary, and seems to be a career path with less stress than being a veterinarian. The only issue is that I am already 25 years old and would have to spend a year taking the remaining prerequisites for pharmacy school and there is of course no guarantee I get accepted into a school even though I think they are generally easier to get into. Do you guys think I should follow my dream and be a veterinarian despite the high student debt or should I try to be a pharmacist (which I would be content with) and most likely be much better off financially.

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[Caiter92]

So pharm at most schools is going to have basically the same pre-reqs as Vet schools. Only difference in classes my pre pharm friends took was microbiology and more biochem, though a lot of Vet schools also require microbiology. Mine just didn’t.

I would go back and retake pre-reqs and then decide what to do. 25 isn’t old. I was 24 when I started vet school, and have a lot of classmates in their 30s. Pharm is competitive too, and if you do well enough in pre reqs to be competitive for pharm, you’ll likely be competitive for other Vet schools as well.

If you read around some threads here, most people are going to recommend you don’t take on 400k of debt when you have other options.

 

[DRider13]

I have always wanted to be a vet but unfortunately I never put in the effort when I was in college to get a high enough GPA to get accepted into a school in the U.S. I am confident in myself to succeed in vet school if I were to go for it, however, that is not my issue. .

Vet school is excruciatingly difficult and you need to be able to put in the work to learn the content and do your best. If you didn't bother to put in the effort in college, how can you be confident that you will succeed in vet school? Have you had a chance to shadow any veterinarians or spend time volunteering in vet clinics? How do you know that becoming a veterinarian is your "dream job?"

You gave several legitimate reasons for entering the field of pharmacy: lower debt, higher income, less stress... If the only thing holding you back from going into pharmacy is one more year of classes, I would suggest exploring that option. 25 is still young. One extra year of school is short compared the amount time you will spend working during the rest of your life.

 

[that redhead]

Have you spent time shadowing in either vet med or pharm?

 

[genny]

Hey so I was hoping I could get some advice on my current situation. I am 25 years old, and I recently got accepted into the pre vet program at Ross. I have always wanted to be a vet but unfortunately I never put in the effort when I was in college to get a high enough GPA to get accepted into a school in the U.S. I am confident in myself to succeed in vet school if I were to go for it, however, that is not my issue. With the pre vet program costing 18k in addition to the already extremely high student debt at Ross I could easily walk away from this owing 300-400k in loans. I am currently struggling to make a decision if I should go through the difficulties that come with going to Ross or If I should pursue another career all together such as being a Pharmacist. From what I have seen Pharmacy school would cost around 150-200k, they have a higher overall average salary, and seems to be a career path with less stress than being a veterinarian. The only issue is that I am already 25 years old and would have to spend a year taking the prerequisites for pharmacy school and there is of course no guarantee I get accepted into a school even though I think they are generally easier to get into. Do you guys think I should follow my dream and be a veterinarian despite the high student debt or should I try to be a pharmacist (which I would be content with) and most likely be much better off financially.

I took the chem prereqs with a guy who was applying for pharmacy school. We were both non-traditional students, and several years older than you when applying. He makes more money as a pharmacist than I do as a veterinarian, and has far less debt. Pharmacy school is definitely easier to get into than vet school. We're both really happy with what we do. I think if you can truly be happy as a pharmacist, then go for it.

But if vet school really is your dream, then you should go for it. I had a bunch of different jobs before vet school. I loved a couple of them, and hated the rest because I wasn't doing what I really loved. I don't think I would be happy doing anything other than what I do now. I think you'll get different answers from everyone you ask because the answer you want is so highly individualized that really you're the only person who can answer it for yourself. Is that much money worth it for you?

 

[sodasteve]

Vet school is excruciatingly difficult and you need to be able to put in the work to learn the content and do your best. If you didn't bother to put in the effort in college, how can you be confident that you will succeed in vet school? Have you had a chance to shadow any veterinarians or spend time volunteering in vet clinics? How do you know that becoming a veterinarian is your "dream job?"

You gave several legitimate reasons for entering the field of pharmacy: lower debt, higher income, less stress... If the only thing holding you back from going into pharmacy is one more year of classes, I would suggest exploring that option. 25 is still young. One extra year of school is short compared the amount time you will spend working during the rest of your life.

My father is a veterinarian so I have worked at his hospital throughout the years as well as others. I didnt mention that because he will not really give me any support as a veterinarian. By the time I graduate he will be retired and his practice will be sold and he is a difficult person to deal with in general so I chose to leave that out. I love the field and have such a high amount of respect for veterinarians which is why I would love to be able to become one.

In college I didnt study at all and finished with a 3.0 GPA. Since I knew this was too low for vet school I pursued an associates degree and have taken several additional classes like biochem, anatomys 1-3 among others too boost my GPA at a different school (I have a 3.9 GPA for this program). I cant guarantee I will do well because you never know but I believe I am motivated and disciplined enough at this point in my life to be able to succeed in vet school or pharmacy school if I gave it a shot.

Vet school is excruciatingly difficult and you need to be able to put in the work to learn the content and do your best. If you didn't bother to put in the effort in college, how can you be confident that you will succeed in vet school? Have you had a chance to shadow any veterinarians or spend time volunteering in vet clinics? How do you know that becoming a veterinarian is your "dream job?"

You gave several legitimate reasons for entering the field of pharmacy: lower debt, higher income, less stress... If the only thing holding you back from going into pharmacy is one more year of classes, I would suggest exploring that option. 25 is still young. One extra year of school is short compared the amount time you will spend working during the rest of your life.

 

[Jess Monster]

Take a year (or two) off. Take some more coursework. Work. Think about what you want to do.

I wouldn’t advise going to Ross, especially if they’re not even offering you direct enrollment into their DVM program. That doesn’t seem a worthwhile offer. You have plenty of time to think about things.

How many times have you applied so far?

 

[sodasteve]

Have you spent time shadowing in either vet med or pharm?

I have no experience with pharm but my dad is a vet and I have worked with him and at other hospitals

Take a year (or two) off. Take some more coursework. Work. Think about what you want to do.

I wouldn’t advise going to Ross, especially if they’re not even offering you direct enrollment into their DVM program. That doesn’t seem a worthwhile offer. You have plenty of time to think about things.

How many times have you applied so far?

This is my first time applying im just worried since im 25 years old already. I dont want to be in school forever. But yea you are probably right, tuition is just too much over there to make it worth it.

 

[KingLeopold]

I don't understand the prevet program at Ross, couldn't you get a masters degree through a veterinary school for around the same price. I would imagine that this would be more beneficial overall, give you a good safety net if you decided to run with your area of study from your MS instead of vet school and would expose you to what vet school entails. Just a thought

 

[sodasteve]

I don't understand the prevet program at Ross, couldn't you get a masters degree through a veterinary school for around the same price. I would imagine that this would be more beneficial overall, give you a good safety net if you decided to run with your area of study from your MS instead of vet school and would expose you to what vet school entails. Just a thought

Yea I think it is just a money grab for them. Forcing aspiring veterinary students to pay them 18k just to get accepted into their school.

 

[Jess Monster]

This is my first time applying im just worried since im 25 years old already. I dont want to be in school forever. But yea you are probably right, tuition is just too much over there to make it worth it.

As a first time applicant, it’s better to sit out the next cycle and reapply when you’ve completed more coursework than to go to Ross. Sometimes it takes a few cycles to get into a school (domestic state school) and there’s no shame in that. This process isn’t a race and you’ll find that anymore there are many, many applicants who are getting started after 25.

I started vet school at 31. I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed where I’m at now if I were in my early 20’s. I had a graduate degree and a few years of professional work under my belt before I got accepted and it took multiple application cycles to get into my state school.

Think about what you want and if this is still the profession you choose, apply smarter - pick cheaper schools that put more weight into your experiences and your more recent coursework.

 

[DrinkWater95]

If you’re truly interested in pharmacy, I would highly recommend talking to some pharmacists. I have 5+ pharmacy friends that graduated about 5-10 years ago. They all say that it’s harder for new graduates to get jobs now because pharmacy schools are popping up everywhere.
They also said they were offered 10k+ signing bonus that is no longer available to new grads.
Good luck!

 

[battie]

This is my first time applying im just worried since im 25 years old already.

I'll be 29 when I graduate. I appreciate being a smidgen older with a least one big girl job under my belt. I feel it gives a more realistic aspect for when dealing with coworkers and clients.

 

[deleted955608]

If it were me, I wouldn't do the Ross route. 18k for a chance to get into vet school is crazy. You can retake prereqs over the year at a lower cost and apply again (what a lot of people have to do). It's just not worth the money to do the Ross program. It sounds like you need to get a better feel on what you want to do with your future too.

Also, I'm 30 and entering into vet school next year so don't let your age discourage you, but realize you will have less working years then a traditional student that got in at 21 and therefore has more time to work and pay off student loans then you will.

 

[dolphin106258]

If you’re truly interested in pharmacy, I would highly recommend talking to some pharmacists. I have 5+ pharmacy friends that graduated about 5-10 years ago. They all say that it’s harder for new graduates to get jobs now because pharmacy schools are popping up everywhere.
They also said they were offered 10k+ signing bonus that is no longer available to new grads.
Good luck!

Second this my dad was a pharmacist for 20+ years. He used to be stress free but the last ten or so years were awful. He hated working everyday, to the point that he attempted suicide (super personal I know, and won’t be everyone’s experience with the profession). But he said it moved to a fast paced quantity over quality in terms of care. Even tho you’d be understaffed and that put more overall on the pharmacist. And yeah he used to get big signing bonuses and could switch pharmacies whenever, but that stopped too, like what ArizonaSkye said there’s too many graduating pharmacists that it’s almost becoming overfilled. Totally not saying you couldn’t have a great career in this field but wanted to give you something to think of as well. If you do pharmacy my dad’s advice was always to try and stay in the hospital setting and away from retail.

 

[sodasteve]

As a first time applicant, it’s better to sit out the next cycle and reapply when you’ve completed more coursework than to go to Ross. Sometimes it takes a few cycles to get into a school (domestic state school) and there’s no shame in that. This process isn’t a race and you’ll find that anymore there are many, many applicants who are getting started after 25.

I started vet school at 31. I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed where I’m at now if I were in my early 20’s. I had a graduate degree and a few years of professional work under my belt before I got accepted and it took multiple application cycles to get into my state school.

Think about what you want and if this is still the profession you choose, apply smarter - pick cheaper schools that put more weight into your experiences and your more recent coursework.

Thank you, this was really helpful. I think you are right. I am seeing this as a race when I shouldnt be. For some reason I had this

Second this my dad was a pharmacist for 20+ years. He used to be stress free but the last ten or so years were awful. He hated working everyday, to the point that he attempted suicide (super personal I know, and won’t be everyone’s experience with the profession). But he said it moved to a fast paced quantity over quality in terms of care. Even tho you’d be understaffed and that put more overall on the pharmacist. And yeah he used to get big signing bonuses and could switch pharmacies whenever, but that stopped too, like what ArizonaSkye said there’s too many graduating pharmacists that it’s almost becoming overfilled. Totally not saying you couldn’t have a great career in this field but wanted to give you something to think of as well. If you do pharmacy my dad’s advice was always to try and stay in the hospital setting and away from retail.

Yea I actually just started looking into how easy it was to get jobs and what it is like working as a pharmacist and I feel like it is mostly negative. A lot of places understaffed and is all about working fast instead of the quality like you said. I see that everyone basically says that it is hard to get a job in pharmacy but when I do a quick search on indeed or other job seeking sights there is more pharmacist jobs than veterinarian so im not really sure what to think of that. But yea I think I am probably just going to try and improve my resume and try and have a more competitive application for the next vet application cycle. It seems like this pharmacy stuff is risky.

 

[sodasteve]

If you’re truly interested in pharmacy, I would highly recommend talking to some pharmacists. I have 5+ pharmacy friends that graduated about 5-10 years ago. They all say that it’s harder for new graduates to get jobs now because pharmacy schools are popping up everywhere.
They also said they were offered 10k+ signing bonus that is no longer available to new grads.
Good luck!

Yea I was just looking into this and I see people saying the same thing that there are too many new pharm grads and not enough jobs. I did a quick search on indeed and other job seeking websites and it seems like there are more pharmacy jobs than veterinarian jobs so I have no idea what to make of this. Looking on google and all over this website people say that pharmacy is kind of a risky field to get into so I guess I will have to take your word for it.

 

[DrinkWater95]

Yea I was just looking into this and I see people saying the same thing that there are too many new pharm grads and not enough jobs. I did a quick search on indeed and other job seeking websites and it seems like there are more pharmacy jobs than veterinarian jobs so I have no idea what to make of this. Looking on google and all over this website people say that pharmacy is kind of a risky field to get into so I guess I will have to take your word for it.

Don’t take my word for it! Talk to a pharmacist and get first hand advice. I’m not a pharmacist and cannot offer the same level of advice that an actual pharmacist can offer.

 

[Lupin21]

SDN has the same set up dedicated for pre-pharm and pharm just as we have here for vet. I recommend checking them out as well, with the caveat that caution is advised as I am fairly certain that is also a fairly tumultuous profession at the moment. heh

Pre-Pharmacy
Pharmacy

 

[SkiOtter]

My father is a veterinarian so I have worked at his hospital throughout the years as well as others. I didnt mention that because he will not really give me any support as a veterinarian. By the time I graduate he will be retired and his practice will be sold and he is a difficult person to deal with in general so I chose to leave that out. I love the field and have such a high amount of respect for veterinarians which is why I would love to be able to become one.

Is this part you saying that your dad said “don’t become a vet”??? If so, have you asked for reasons why he doesn’t want you to get into vetmed?

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I think she meant that since he will be retiring and selling the practice, she will not be able to work at his practice or take over ownership?

 

[sodasteve]

Is this part you saying that your dad said “don’t become a vet”??? If so, have you asked for reasons why he doesn’t want you to get into vetmed?

It is kind of complicated. He mostly cares about himself since my parents are divorced so if I go to vet school he doesnt really want to help me pay for it and hes planning on retiring soon so he says he cant really help me out after I graduate. He says that the job is extremely stressful even for someone who went to a good school (he went to Penn). He thinks Ross is really bad and that I should reapply to vet school later and hopefully get into a cheap school. He wants the best for me but he doesnt really want to help me financially so yea it is complicated with him.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

It is kind of complicated. He mostly cares about himself since my parents are divorced so if I go to vet school he doesnt really want to help me pay for it and hes planning on retiring soon so he says he cant really help me out after I graduate. He says that the job is extremely stressful even for someone who went to a good school (he went to Penn). He thinks Ross is really bad and that I should reapply to vet school later and hopefully get into a cheap school. He wants the best for me but he doesnt really want to help me financially so yea it is complicated with him.

Sidenote: Your father is under no moral or parental obligation to pay for your vet school or give you a job. That has nothing to do with being supportive.

He's absolutely allowed to put himself first, retire, and not continue to shell out money to adult children if that's what he chooses to do (and should not be branded as "not supportive" because he chooses it, either).

I don't get this culture of passive entitlement where kids think their parents owe them anything material past age 18. They don't. If they can and they want to help you out, great. But calling a parent unsupportive because they won't pay for your adult educational choices (i.e. anything past high school) is pretty unfair.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

As a first time applicant, it’s better to sit out the next cycle and reapply when you’ve completed more coursework than to go to Ross. Sometimes it takes a few cycles to get into a school (domestic state school) and there’s no shame in that. This process isn’t a race and you’ll find that anymore there are many, many applicants who are getting started after 25.

I started vet school at 31. I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed where I’m at now if I were in my early 20’s. I had a graduate degree and a few years of professional work under my belt before I got accepted and it took multiple application cycles to get into my state school.

Think about what you want and if this is still the profession you choose, apply smarter - pick cheaper schools that put more weight into your experiences and your more recent coursework.

Agreed

 

[sodasteve]

I think she meant that since he will be retiring and selling the practice, she will not be able to work at his practice or take over ownership?

correct and he mostly cares about himself so he does not want to help me out financially. He thinks its a good career to get into if I can get into a cheap school its just he cant and wont support me

Sidenote: Your father is under no moral or parental obligation to pay for your vet school or give you a job. That has nothing to do with being supportive.

He's absolutely allowed to put himself first, retire, and not continue to shell out money to adult children if that's what he chooses to do (and should not be branded as "not supportive" because he chooses it, either).

I don't get this culture of passive entitlement where kids think their parents owe them anything material past age 18. They don't. If they can and they want to help you out, great. But calling a parent unsupportive because they won't pay for your adult educational choices (i.e. anything past high school) is pretty unfair.

First of all I left my father out of my main question on this forum for this exact reason (I didnt want people to say well you should go to Ross because you can maybe work with your dad or other things about him). Second of all, by me saying he cant and wont support me I dont mean it as he is a bad person or in a negative way. All im saying is he cannot help me because he will be retired and he wont support me financially because just as you say he doesnt have to do so. He supports me morally and helps me with my decision making and wants the best for me. So I apologize if my comments came off as me expecting like he owes me something. He doesnt owe me anything which is why I wanted to leave him out of this forum in the first place but people wanted more details.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

correct and he mostly cares about himself so he does not want to help me out financially. He thinks its a good career to get into if I can get into a cheap school its just he cant and wont support me

First of all I left my father out of my main question on this forum for this exact reason (I didnt want people to say well you should go to Ross because you can maybe work with your dad or other things about him). Second of all, by me saying he cant and wont support me I dont mean it as he is a bad person or in a negative way. All im saying is he cannot help me because he will be retired and he wont support me financially because just as you say he doesnt have to do so. He supports me morally and helps me with my decision making and wants the best for me. So I apologize if my comments came off as me expecting like he owes me something. He doesnt owe me anything which is why I wanted to leave him out of this forum in the first place but people wanted more details.

Ah, okay, I see where you are coming from now.

I don't think anyone here would have jumped to saying you should do because you would work for your dad. Overall I'm just really suspicious of a "pre-vet" program that costs thousands of dollars and isn't even a guarantee.

If you struggled that much in college, you really need to get a handle on your academic performance and ability to take a heavy course load. This goes for all professional career paths. Have you identified why you struggled so much in college? What deficiences you had in your study habits? Specific things that you can take definitive actions to change (not just "I know I can do better).

I'd say figuring out what went wrong is the first step before you start thinking about spending that much $. Otherwise that will be throwing 18k down the drain when you again struggle.

 

[sodasteve]

Ah, okay, I see where you are coming from now.

I don't think anyone here would have jumped to saying you should do because you would work for your dad. Overall I'm just really suspicious of a "pre-vet" program that costs thousands of dollars and isn't even a guarantee.

If you struggled that much in college, you really need to get a handle on your academic performance and ability to take a heavy course load. This goes for all professional career paths. Have you identified why you struggled so much in college? What deficiences you had in your study habits? Specific things that you can take definitive actions to change (not just "I know I can do better).

I'd say figuring out what went wrong is the first step before you start thinking about spending that much $. Otherwise that will be throwing 18k down the drain when you again struggle.

My poor GPA was mostly an issue of a lack of motivation and effort on my end. I was mostly concerned with making friends and partying. I did not understand just how much you have to sacrifice and how hard you have to work to be a vet at the time. I mentioned in a reply to someone else that I knew my GPA was too low coming out of college to make it into a vet school so I pursued an associates degree and have a 3.9 GPA through a couple semesters. This showed me that I am capable of getting good grades as long as I am motivated and work hard at it. Problem is that I now have to dig myself out of the hole that I put myself in college. My dad and I think the best plan now is to finish getting my associates degree (halfway done with it) / retake GRE / and maybe retake some classes and hope to have a more competitive application for the next time that I apply. I was just panicking about starting vet school in my late 20's so I felt that Ross was my only option. These responses have made me feel much better though, hearing how they started vet school in their early 30's. Now I can stop treating this as a race against time and like you said work on fixing my issues.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

My poor GPA was mostly an issue of a lack of motivation and effort on my end. I was mostly concerned with making friends and partying. I did not understand just how much you have to sacrifice and how hard you have to work to be a vet at the time. I mentioned in a reply to someone else that I knew my GPA was too low coming out of college to make it into a vet school so I pursued an associates degree and have a 3.9 GPA through a couple semesters. This showed me that I am capable of getting good grades as long as I am motivated and work hard at it. Problem is that I now have to dig myself out of the hole that I put myself in college. My dad and I think the best plan now is to finish getting my associates degree (halfway done with it) / retake GRE / and maybe retake some classes and hope to have a more competitive application for the next time that I apply. I was just panicking about starting vet school in my late 20's so I felt that Ross was my only option. These responses have made me feel much better though, hearing how they started vet school in their early 30's. Now I can stop treating this as a race against time and like you said work on fixing my issues.

I think that is absolutely the right decision. The average age in my vet school first year class was 27 if that also helps. My SO is currently in his second year and is 31. Age ain't nuthin but a number for the most part.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

Sidenote: Your father is under no moral or parental obligation to pay for your vet school or give you a job. That has nothing to do with being supportive.

He's absolutely allowed to put himself first, retire, and not continue to shell out money to adult children if that's what he chooses to do (and should not be branded as "not supportive" because he chooses it, either).

I don't get this culture of passive entitlement where kids think their parents owe them anything material past age 18. They don't. If they can and they want to help you out, great. But calling a parent unsupportive because they won't pay for your adult educational choices (i.e. anything past high school) is pretty unfair.

I agree with everything you have said. However, I do feel bad for people whose parents are extremely wealthy, and yet do not help them out with school at all because they had to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". I don't think parents are or should be required to pay for college or anything like that, but it makes me quite sad for people whose parents could help them out a little, and just decide not to because they think it "builds character" or something like that. You also may feel free to disagree.

 

[sodasteve]

I agree with everything you have said. However, I do feel bad for people whose parents are extremely wealthy, and yet do not help them out with school at all because they had to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". I don't think parents are or should be required to pay for college or anything like that, but it makes me quite sad for people whose parents could help them out a little, and just decide not to because they think it "builds character" or something like that. You also may feel free to disagree.

I just think it is all up to them to choose what they do with their money. They obviously worked their asses off to get to where they are. If they want to help out a little financially than that is nice of them but I think people should at least be prepared to deal with their financial problems on their own instead of expecting a handout. I think it is like this with most mega wealthy people of the world and their children as well but what do I know. I am fortunate enough to have my father help out financially with all of my schooling thus far, it is just that I wouldnt want to wish 400k in student debt to my worst enemy let alone my father .

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I agree with everything you have said. However, I do feel bad for people whose parents are extremely wealthy, and yet do not help them out with school at all because they had to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". I don't think parents are or should be required to pay for college or anything like that, but it makes me quite sad for people whose parents could help them out a little, and just decide not to because they think it "builds character" or something like that. You also may feel free to disagree.

I feel bad for them when it's borne out of malice, I'll give you that. If you're gonna have kids, don't be an ass - you have to take care of their needs. Totally with you. But parents are people too. They have lives too. They've worked their asses off and if they want to trek across Europe with their savings rather than pay for my degree, more power to them. They've earned it.

My folks are pretty loaded. As in I grew up in a house worth over 1 million smackers, no joke. But as soon as I was old enough to get a work permit, they made me get a job to buy my own stuff. I worked 1-2 part time jobs all through high school, college, and my first three years of vet school. I learned how to do my own taxes as a teenager and how to budget. And honestly? Yeah, it did build character, I have to say. I worked **** jobs like a ball washer at a golf course and a convenience store clerk, and I worked better jobs like a cytology/clin path tech and a lab animal tech, but every job taught me something (or at least made me more realistic). They could have sheltered and spoiled me, and they didn't. I guess that is what I was getting at.

 

[SnowJ]

I agree with everything you have said. However, I do feel bad for people whose parents are extremely wealthy, and yet do not help them out with school at all because they had to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". I don't think parents are or should be required to pay for college or anything like that, but it makes me quite sad for people whose parents could help them out a little, and just decide not to because they think it "builds character" or something like that. You also may feel free to disagree.

It's mostly frustrating to have well-off parents when it comes to financial aid; even though I don't get any money from my doctor mom for college, any program that asks me to demonstrate financial need chucks me right out because of her high salary. I don't expect my mom to help me pay for my education, it's just a huge bummer that it makes me ineligible for assistance elsewhere. Though I know that any program that lets you say "I don't get help from my parents" would be widely abused.

 

[DrinkWater95]

I worked 1-2 part time jobs all through high school, college, and my first three years of vet school.

What was it like working during vet school? Did you just work between semesters/on the weekends?

 

[SkiOtter]

It's mostly frustrating to have well-off parents when it comes to financial aid; even though I don't get any money from my doctor mom for college, any program that asks me to demonstrate financial need chucks me right out because of her high salary. I don't expect my mom to help me pay for my education, it's just a huge bummer that it makes me ineligible for assistance elsewhere. Though I know that any program that lets you say "I don't get help from my parents" would be widely abused.

You’re an independent student even if your parents still claim you. Vet schools/FAFSA don’t take your parents money into account for things like that. Only thing is for HPSL but it’s not even for determining need based.

 

[KCgophervet]

What was it like working during vet school? Did you just work between semesters/on the weekends?

I worked in vet school. Mostly I worked evenings and weekends and then of course over the summers. It's important (if you are doing the work thing) to make sure your job is flexible in terms of scheduling - I signed up for the shifts I wanted to work and never worked the night before an exam etc.

You’re an independent student even if your parents still claim you. Vet schools/FAFSA don’t take your parents money into account for things like that. Only thing is for HPSL but it’s not even for determining need based.

Can mess you up for undergrad though. I know those feels, I had to take out a private loan (from a relative, so not that bad in the grand scheme of things) to help cover some tuition for undergrad.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

What was it like working during vet school? Did you just work between semesters/on the weekends?

I worked in vet school. Mostly I worked evenings and weekends and then of course over the summers. It's important (if you are doing the work thing) to make sure your job is flexible in terms of scheduling - I signed up for the shifts I wanted to work and never worked the night before an exam etc.

Yep, same here. Evenings and weekends, and then of course breaks and summers.

 

[Freckless]

My family is full of pharmacists: mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, etc. In recent years there’s actually been a decline in jobs for new pharmacy grads, there are tons of schools with new graduating students but not enough places to hire them. That’s just something to consider. You also mentioned that you would be content with being a pharmacist, but have you worked under a pharmacist? Some people have the misconception that all pharmacists are just “drug dealers” but they do far more than that. Also consider that you may not work at an independent pharmacy, but a corporate retail chain that doesn’t see you as more than a pile of $$$. My brother worked for years at a retail chain, and he never seemed happy. Good luck with whatever choice you make :’)

 

[sodasteve]

My family is full of pharmacists: mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, etc. In recent years there’s actually been a decline in jobs for new pharmacy grads, there are tons of schools with new graduating students but not enough places to hire them. That’s just something to consider. You also mentioned that you would be content with being a pharmacist, but have you worked under a pharmacist? Some people have the misconception that all pharmacists are just “drug dealers” but they do far more than that. Also consider that you may not work at an independent pharmacy, but a corporate retail chain that doesn’t see you as more than a pile of $$$. My brother worked for years at a retail chain, and he never seemed happy. Good luck with whatever choice you make :’)

Yea I looked into it and everyone says the same thing as you. It was a career path that in my head sounded like a win win until I did more research into it. My plan now is to work on improving my application (taking more classes/retake GRE) and maybe apply again in a year or two.