Suggestions on items to prepare for first year?

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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Wool socks, an electric blanket, your fave bagels and cream cheese, a dry erase board (or two [or three]), clothes conducive to layering for unpredictable lecture hall climes, a local establishment that has good tacos and margs, a calendar/planner system of some variety that contains the entirety of your life because you will definitely forget that random online quiz due every other 17 business days, a good water bottle, a good coffee thermos (personally partial to the ceramic types that feel like actual mugs), some sort of way to interact with live creatures every once in a while especially during years 1 and 2, and some sort of hobby/activity that is not vet school because that’s the kind of thing that helps you survive vet school.

Also, set as many bills as you can to automatic bill pay.

Also, try to prioritize sleep as much as possible — you need brain power in order to actually study.

Also, be kind to yourself.

Amen.
 
Does anyone have suggestions on a tablet? Not necessarily looking to replace my laptop right now, just something a little smaller to use for taking notes in class.
 
PetVet23 said:
Does anyone have suggestions on a tablet? Not necessarily looking to replace my laptop right now, just something a little smaller to use for taking notes in class.
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iPads are great since they’re established, have a pretty long batter life, and the writing function is awesome. The Surface Pro 6 is good and not overly expensive, and has a full operating system so you can also use all of your programs from your laptop on it if you have a windows laptop. Those are the go-to tablets i think of because they have great writing tools that you can get for them (Apple Pencil and Surface Pen). I’m sure other people have suggestions but you really can’t go wrong with either of those.
 
I am thinking of going with an ipad, but unsure how much storage to get. What would you guys suggest? 64 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB?
 
puggleperson55 said:
I am thinking of going with an ipad, but unsure how much storage to get. What would you guys suggest? 64 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB?
Click to expand...
I would think this is school specific. If your school has certain apps they want you to have, or the format of the notes, if you want to put large images like CT’s or videos on the iPad. Remember you can’t upgrade storage. If you’re just using it for note taking, 64GB is plenty. I’ve never come even close to that when I used my 128 GB MacBook for school. Again, only difference would be if there are certain large files that you’d want to have on there and keep on there for a long time.
 
puggleperson55 said:
I am thinking of going with an ipad, but unsure how much storage to get. What would you guys suggest? 64 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB?
Click to expand...
I have an iPad Pro and I use it pretty much only for notes (notability. Get it. I love it and so do many other people on here hahaha) and I’ve apparently used 18.1 GB so far (~10 is the general iPad system stuff, ~1.5 is photos, ~2.2 is unused apps, and apparently I have downloaded the newest update for 1.6 gb but haven’t installed it :laugh:), BUT my iPad also syncs photos with my phone and has a solid 8k photos on it (lol whoops).
I have notability set to sync with google drive so all my notes can be stored as a second copy there and I can delete them off my iPad if I need more space. I ended up going with the 256 GB because I didn’t want to worry about space, but easily could have been fine with the 64.
 
For schools that allow you to choose your own laptop, is there any 2-n-1 laptops people have loved?

I have an old surface 3 tablet and don’t want to shell out a thousand for the surface laptop, but I will if it’s worth it!
 
rimfree said:
For schools that allow you to choose your own laptop, is there any 2-n-1 laptops people have loved?

I have an old surface 3 tablet and don’t want to shell out a thousand for the surface laptop, but I will if it’s worth it!
Click to expand...
I feel bad that i keep commenting a lot right now since I’m not a current student and can’t speak to the vet school laptop experience, but as a huge tech nerd I do have to say this: 2-in-1’s can be problematic because they try to be both a laptop and a tablet for cheaper than buying both, and in doing so they do each thing worse. They’re worse at being a laptop than a dedicated laptop, and they’re worse at being a tablet than a dedicated tablet. That being said, Lenovo has some pretty good ones, and the surface book 2 is pretty good too. But I always recommend that people just get a pretty good laptop and a good tablet if they really want both and will mostly be taking notes/looking at powerpoints.
 
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ajs513 said:
I feel bad that i keep commenting a lot right now since I’m not a current student and can’t speak to the vet school laptop experience, but as a huge tech nerd I do have to say this: 2-in-1’s can be problematic because they try to be both a laptop and a tablet for cheaper than buying both, and in doing so they do each thing worse. They’re worse at being a laptop than a dedicated laptop, and they’re worse at being a tablet than a dedicated tablet. That being said, Lenovo has some pretty good ones, and the surface book 2 is pretty good too. But I always recommend that people just get a pretty good laptop and a good tablet if they really want both and will mostly be taking notes/looking at powerpoints.
Click to expand...

I'm struggling trying to decide what to get for vet school. I currently have a monster MSI gaming laptop that I bought two years ago, but now I'm wanting to get a new computer for school. Trying to decide between a surface pro or some other laptop. I know that I want at least an i5 (probably i7 realistically), at least 8 GB of RAM, and at least a 256 GB SSD...
 
I'm on my second Lenovo Yoga. First one I had for 5 years. It was still running fine when I got my second - I just decided I wanted an upgrade. I was able to buy a Lenovo Yoga 730 15" plus a 9" iPad for the same price as I would have paid for a higher end laptop.

I will add two disclaimers:
1. My sister also had a Lenovo Yoga that was useless after less than a year.
2. I don't do anything beyond web browsing and Netflix with my Yoga, so I have no idea how it'd do with more serious work.
 
Cobyology said:
I'm struggling trying to decide what to get for vet school. I currently have a monster MSI gaming laptop that I bought two years ago, but now I'm wanting to get a new computer for school. Trying to decide between a surface pro or some other laptop. I know that I want at least an i5 (probably i7 realistically), at least 8 GB of RAM, and at least a 256 GB SSD...
Click to expand...
What do you really need your laptop for? If you’re gaming, then totally go for an i7. If you want to just do productivity things, take notes, and go on YouTube and social media then an i5 is actually overkill. But definitely get a SSD. A HDD is just so slow now in comparison.
 
ajs513 said:
What do you really need your laptop for? If you’re gaming, then totally go for an i7. If you want to just do productivity things, take notes, and go on YouTube and social media then an i5 is actually overkill. But definitely get a SSD. A HDD is just so slow now in comparison.
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My current laptop will be just for gaming (it's also ridiculously heavy so I don't want to use this one for school). I just want a second laptop that will strictly be for school, so your point about the i5 is actually a really good one.
 
SkiOtter said:
Lol we’re not forced to wear nice clothes. I just prefer my regular clothes not smell like formalin. Even if I get nothing on me, the smell just stays
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I hate formalin smell and can smell it from almost anywhere. Could smell it on people's hands even if they had been wearing gloves. Could smell it at our desks. Could smell it from the street outside our anatomy building sometimes. During first year I had a huge bottle of peppermint oil that I used to put in my hair and in my hands after lab just so I could overpower the formalin smell. 😛 (I also did this after particularly gross necropsies at work)
mmmdreamerz said:
You might not notice the smell anymore, but everyone else does lolol. Trust me, its crazy how much you start to smell it again after you aren’t in the anatomy lab anymore. Everyone here changes. Interesting the trends at different schools.
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Yup, my boss jokingly told me that first years are the smelly kids and it's very true
that redhead said:
Stock up on meds (headaches, melatonin, antihistamines, cold meds, etc) and stuff you want when you’re sick (ramen packs, cough drops, etc) because the worst thing ever is getting sick with the vet school plague and having to go out and get stuff to take care of yourself.
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I have a small supply of ondansetron and Excedrin that are basically the only reasons I can get out of bed on days that I have migraines. Life savers.
 
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My current "survive sitting in school all day" supplies are a class blanket (you know, a dedicated blanket for classes, which I'm sure everyone has) and tea that caught my eye in the store.

My current tea stock includes a mint tea with a wizard on the box and something called Tension Tamer, which has a dragon on the box. I am easy to please.
 
In terms of things that I have gotten a lot of utility out of during school, in no particular order:
  • Public library card
  • Heated blanket
  • Slow cooker
  • Candles
  • Cat toys
  • Giant fuzzy blankets
  • Hoodies
  • Member cards for all the grocery stores in my area
  • Subscription to the AVMA Smart Brief in my email daily
  • An ice scraper for my car (I am not originally from a cold area)
  • Lots of ponytail elastics +/- hair clips
  • Face masks
  • The seasonal farmer's market
  • Food truck rallies
  • Socks with confident phrases on them
  • So many reusable bags
  • A cheap calculator
  • Badge reel
  • String
  • Small sewing kits
  • Paper and pencils for drawing
  • D20
  • File box for all my important stuff + my cat's medical records
  • The sticky notes app on Microsoft
  • tomato-timer.com
  • Youper app
  • Habitica app
 
vetmedhead said:
In terms of things that I have gotten a lot of utility out of during school, in no particular order:
  • Public library card
  • Heated blanket
  • Slow cooker
  • Candles
  • Cat toys
  • Giant fuzzy blankets
  • Hoodies
  • Member cards for all the grocery stores in my area
  • Subscription to the AVMA Smart Brief in my email daily
  • An ice scraper for my car (I am not originally from a cold area)
  • Lots of ponytail elastics +/- hair clips
  • Face masks
  • The seasonal farmer's market
  • Food truck rallies
  • Socks with confident phrases on them
  • So many reusable bags
  • A cheap calculator
  • Badge reel
  • String
  • Small sewing kits
  • Paper and pencils for drawing
  • D20
  • File box for all my important stuff + my cat's medical records
  • The sticky notes app on Microsoft
  • tomato-timer.com
  • Youper app
  • Habitica app
Click to expand...
This is awesome. I am all about any random helpful study / comfort items 🙂
 
vetmedhead said:
I hate formalin smell and can smell it from almost anywhere. Could smell it on people's hands even if they had been wearing gloves. Could smell it at our desks. Could smell it from the street outside our anatomy building sometimes. During first year I had a huge bottle of peppermint oil that I used to put in my hair and in my hands after lab just so I could overpower the formalin smell. 😛 (I also did this after particularly gross necropsies at work)
Click to expand...
Yep I basically can smell it everywhere. I wear a mask in lab to hopefully cut down on the smell but it’s still baaaaad with it on. Without it, I cannot breathe at all when cadavers are out. Aaaand my lab group is pretty close to the fridge. So the smell is strongest. Yay.
 
vetmedhead said:
In terms of things that I have gotten a lot of utility out of during school, in no particular order:
  • Public library card
  • Heated blanket
  • Slow cooker
  • Candles
  • Cat toys
  • Giant fuzzy blankets
  • Hoodies
  • Member cards for all the grocery stores in my area
  • Subscription to the AVMA Smart Brief in my email daily
  • An ice scraper for my car (I am not originally from a cold area)
  • Lots of ponytail elastics +/- hair clips
  • Face masks
  • The seasonal farmer's market
  • Food truck rallies
  • Socks with confident phrases on them
  • So many reusable bags
  • A cheap calculator
  • Badge reel
  • String
  • Small sewing kits
  • Paper and pencils for drawing
  • D20
  • File box for all my important stuff + my cat's medical records
  • The sticky notes app on Microsoft
  • tomato-timer.com
  • Youper app
  • Habitica app
Click to expand...

Basically my list of things that get me through life, give or take a few.
 
rimfree said:
For schools that allow you to choose your own laptop, is there any 2-n-1 laptops people have loved?

I have an old surface 3 tablet and don’t want to shell out a thousand for the surface laptop, but I will if it’s worth it!
Click to expand...
I have a 2-in-1 Dell Inspiron 11 (it's not new; my dad got it for me at black friday a few years ago) and it's super nice because it's so light, and it works well for taking notes. I don't use the touchscreen functions (or own a pen of any kind) often because my handwriting is pretty terrible, so that skews my perspective some. I mostly use the tablet function for things like lab guides where I'm mobile and not typing.
The only issues I have are with really large files loading in adobe or onenote because the processing power on this thing isn't stellar.(but really who needs 150+ page powerpoints?!) It works just fine for everything else.
I know 2-in-1s aren't necessarily as powerful as normal laptops, but for notes/lectures/etc they work great. If there's any fancy software you'll be asked to have it may not be the best choice (depending on what specs are needed) but if not I don't think it's that much of an issue.
 
vetmedhead said:
My current "survive sitting in school all day" supplies are a class blanket (you know, a dedicated blanket for classes, which I'm sure everyone has) and tea that caught my eye in the store.

My current tea stock includes a mint tea with a wizard on the box and something called Tension Tamer, which has a dragon on the box. I am easy to please.
Click to expand...
Schools are okay with you bringing a blanket to class?! That's awesome. I'm always cold.
 
tinynest said:
Schools are okay with you bringing a blanket to class?! That's awesome. I'm always cold.
Click to expand...
I mostly don't ask and sit in the very back under my blanket haha

Although I did once run into the assistant dean while I was wearing my blanket like a cape and was on my way to class. She asked me if it was that cold in the room and I told her that I'm always cold and basically ran away haha
 
LyraGardenia said:
I remember @LetItSnow used to always say this, and it's seriously such good advice.
Click to expand...

Yep - definitely stole it from him. 🙂 I pass on that nugget to anybody I know who is heading into vet school.

Also re: technology -- please double check with your school about any technology requirements they may have prior to purchasing. My institution started requiring ipads the year we matriculated, and some of us had already made purchases/received graduation gifts/etc.

I'm a fan of having both an ipad and a laptop, especially for more involved tasks that get tricky on ipads or even just watching recorded lectures on one device and taking notes on the other. Tablets are a handy tool, but they are truly not a complete replacement for an actual computer.
 
c/o2023hopeful said:
This probably doesn't belong here but i don't know where else to post it...what GPA do you need in vet school to be competitive for a residency? Trying to prepare myself lol
Click to expand...

Depends on what residency you're trying to get. Some (ie surgery, zoo etc) are more competitive than others. You'll hear different numbers for 'minimum' GPA from different people. Keep in mind that letters of recommendation and research are also extremely important. Good letters of rec from boarded specialists in your field are as important, if not more important, than GPA but those will come from your internship year(s) most likely. You will need rec letters from 4th year clinicians for an internship though!

My strategy is just doing as well as I can GPA-wise and doing research and trying to get published this summer. I have heard top 25% or top 1/3 of your class +/- 3.5 GPA minimum but those will vary based on the field you want to go into, how good your letters of rec are, etc... There is no hard-and-fast 'you must have this GPA to get a residency'. Just do your best and try to get great grades and realize it's an individualized process, with schools having whole committees dedicated to selecting residents.
 
c/o2023hopeful said:
This probably doesn't belong here but i don't know where else to post it...what GPA do you need in vet school to be competitive for a residency? Trying to prepare myself lol
Click to expand...
Also remember that you cant standardize GPA for vet schools because they all do it SO differently. We dont even have a GPA at our school while Illinois pretty much makes having a decent GPA impossible. Class rankings among your peers is a much more realistic evaluation of a particular individual for things like residency. However, networking and experience seems to be becoming a predominanting factor from what I've been told.
 
puggleperson55 said:
I am thinking of going with an ipad, but unsure how much storage to get. What would you guys suggest? 64 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB?
Click to expand...

ajs513 said:
I would think this is school specific. If your school has certain apps they want you to have, or the format of the notes, if you want to put large images like CT’s or videos on the iPad. Remember you can’t upgrade storage. If you’re just using it for note taking, 64GB is plenty. I’ve never come even close to that when I used my 128 GB MacBook for school. Again, only difference would be if there are certain large files that you’d want to have on there and keep on there for a long time.
Click to expand...

rimfree said:
For schools that allow you to choose your own laptop, is there any 2-n-1 laptops people have loved?

I have an old surface 3 tablet and don’t want to shell out a thousand for the surface laptop, but I will if it’s worth it!
Click to expand...

TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
It’s been said in the other thread, but I have the Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 and I love it.
Click to expand...

Love my Lenovo Yoga. I have an X1 but I think next time I would do the consumer 900 series line which has a nicer screen and speakers. The X1 is more business orientated so it's tough and I spray clean it with isopropyl 😆 I also liked the inbuilt pen, but I ended up buying a full size pen because I write so much on the screen, but I do like that the X1 is so light and still gets a good 6+ hours of battery life with all the stuff I do during lectures. It does a good job of being both a laptop and tablet and I like that I can use it on my lap unlike the surface pro that doesn't have as much stand flexibility. I think the surface book is a bit overkill and overpriced -- but a lot of people use and love the surface pro which is a bit cheaper and the magnetic pen does support tilt sensing with the pen which I used once for anatomy chalk talks and I am highly envious vs just pressure sensitivity which most other pens have. Both laptops have a decent keyboard for typing for exams and other things. People seem to prefer having a a touch screen device with a pencil type input vs the minority of folk who still prefer a clam-shell laptop or paper notes. I would recommend a Lenovo Yoga or surface pro if you want one device to do it all, and second I would recommend an Ipad/Ipad pro if you have a laptop that will work for most things but you want a nice note-taking device or have the $ to spend on one.

I wanted to get an ipad pro, but Penn uses lockdown for exams which is not supported on iOS even though there is an app for it. I was replacing my laptop so I didn't want to buy 2 things. Regarding space -- I'm sure most schools have this, but Penn gives you a Microsoft office subscription that has access to 1TB of cloud storage (OneDrive) and it's what everyone uses so that all the onenote/notability stuff is accessible across all their devices. Penn also has it's own PennBox cloud storage that's another 1TB of storage so check with your school to see what cloud storage options they have. Save the $ if you can, you will need it in school for those days when you don't want to cook/need to treat yo' self etc. So you don't really need a lot of storage space... until maybe after school -- in which case I'll probably get a hard drive or burn everything. Undecided.
 
staff_wielder said:
I wanted to get an ipad pro, but Penn uses lockdown for exams which is not supported on iOS even though there is an app for it. I was replacing my laptop so I didn't want to buy 2 things
Click to expand...
So glad you said this. I was torn between an iPad Pro and a 13.5” surface book. I absolutely want someone I can keep on my lap and you can’t comfortably do that with a surface pro. I’ve tried for the last 3 years with surface pros I’ve used for work and it’s just not possible with the kickstand and keyboard. And the iPad Pro is only a mobile OS so you can’t use a mouse. That wasn’t enough to be a dealbreaker but knowing I literally can’t use it to take exams is.

Just realized autocorrect made it “someone I can keep on my lap.” I’m not changing it.
 
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c/o2023hopeful said:
This probably doesn't belong here but i don't know where else to post it...what GPA do you need in vet school to be competitive for a residency? Trying to prepare myself lol
Click to expand...

A 4.0. If you can't hack that, you might as well just give up.

In all seriousness, this is one of those popular questions that are actually kind of dumb. Do the best you can and the rest will fall in place. If you do your best and fall short, there isn't much you can do other than work hard to keep yourself competitive. No need to stress over not meeting a random nebulous gpa goal that isn't even real. If you're planning on "skating by" with a respectable gpa and not do more, you'll soon learn it doesn't work that way.
 
This seems random, but do any of you struggle with posture? The chair comment made me think about my back pain, and I can’t imagine it getting better with veterinary school. Didn’t know if you all would have any suggestions before I become the hunchback of notre dame
 
rimfree said:
This seems random, but do any of you struggle with posture? The chair comment made me think about my back pain, and I can’t imagine it getting better with veterinary school. Didn’t know if you all would have any suggestions before I become the hunchback of notre dame
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87905415-5416-40FB-B913-4B292CBBF1DD.jpeg

Vet student chic. But yea actual recommendations would be awesome. I have the worst posture and I don’t want to end up like Forrest Gump.
 
rimfree said:
This seems random, but do any of you struggle with posture? The chair comment made me think about my back pain, and I can’t imagine it getting better with veterinary school. Didn’t know if you all would have any suggestions before I become the hunchback of notre dame
Click to expand...
Many of my classmates got those little donut things to sit on in class and honestly, it was a smart move. These chairs + sitting all day are complete murder on the back and I know I've definitely had more back issues in the last two years than I ever had before in my life.

I'm not sure about posture specifically. I try to sit up straight and not hunch over all the time, but it can get awkward depending on your height compared to the desktop and the height of the people around you.
 
rimfree said:
This seems random, but do any of you struggle with posture? The chair comment made me think about my back pain, and I can’t imagine it getting better with veterinary school. Didn’t know if you all would have any suggestions before I become the hunchback of notre dame
Click to expand...
Hi yes always
My dr told me to put like a rolled up towel behind my back to help and also make sure I’m getting out of my chair and walking around as often as I can (we get a 10 min break every 50 during lecture so I take a <5 minute lap around the floor). It’s helped some. I also have to keep correcting how I’m sitting in a chair and make sure I’m not slumping about every 5 minutes.

But my back has gotten a lot worse since school started because I’m sitting in bad chairs for hours on end at school every day and then coming home to study for a while after school.
It seems to be a little bit better with regular chiropractic adjustments this semester though (those were one of the only things that helped me at home to help loosen my back (and mostly my SI joints) after I got the inflammation down with steroid injections, but first semester I didn’t like the person I had been seeing here and it made my back hurt for 5 days after each adjustment so I stopped going)
 
vetmedhead said:
Many of my classmates got those little donut things to sit on in class and honestly, it was a smart move. These chairs + sitting all day are complete murder on the back and I know I've definitely had more back issues in the last two years than I ever had before in my life.

I'm not sure about posture specifically. I try to sit up straight and not hunch over all the time, but it can get awkward depending on your height compared to the desktop and the height of the people around you.
Click to expand...
I’m already saving tons of yoga for this very reason 🙂 core muscles are definitely the most important part. What are the donut things? I love any kind of donut
 
SkiOtter said:
It seems to be a little bit better with regular chiropractic adjustments this semester though (those were one of the only things that helped me at home to help loosen my back (and mostly my SI joints) after I got the inflammation down with steroid injections, but first semester I didn’t like the person I had been seeing here and it made my back hurt for 5 days after each adjustment so I stopped going)
Click to expand...
How do you even afford regular chiropractic adjustments. As much as I would love to get them, I could never afford that.
 
SkiOtter said:
Hi yes always
My dr told me to put like a rolled up towel behind my back to help and also make sure I’m getting out of my chair and walking around as often as I can (we get a 10 min break every 50 during lecture so I take a <5 minute lap around the floor). It’s helped some. I also have to keep correcting how I’m sitting in a chair and make sure I’m not slumping about every 5 minutes.

But my back has gotten a lot worse since school started because I’m sitting in bad chairs for hours on end at school every day and then coming home to study for a while after school.
It seems to be a little bit better with regular chiropractic adjustments this semester though (those were one of the only things that helped me at home to help loosen my back (and mostly my SI joints) after I got the inflammation down with steroid injections, but first semester I didn’t like the person I had been seeing here and it made my back hurt for 5 days after each adjustment so I stopped going)
Click to expand...

I’ve never done chiropractic adjustments, but I tried massage before and it helped. I just know I can’t afford that regularly in vet school considering I’ve only afforded it like once now
 
vetmedhead said:
There are a lot of posture improving exercises. I think it's important to have a strong core and it may also be helpful to add more core work/basic core exercises into your exercise routines during school
Click to expand...

Seconded. Pilates/yoga helps my back a lot.
 
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