"Supplies" For Vet School

[hygebeorht]

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I apologize in advance for this true "first world problem." But how do you guys organize and prioritize the things you all do? I find it difficult/inconvenient to try to do it on my phone. I hate to bring a computer to classes with me. I have a nice organizer that is notebook size, but I forget to use it. So there you have it, an incoming vet student with a Galaxy S3, an iPad, and a sweet organizer, and I can't really figure out the best way to utilize them. I got away with being a little unorganized in undergrad but it won't fly at this level. I'm just looking for some tips.

I'm not the most organized human, but I do what works with minimal fuss and effort. The three important things with organization for me are:

1. Knowing where to find things
2. Knowing when to do things
3. Getting mental clutter out of my brain.

For #1, I keep something similar to this in my bag: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/140560/Globe-Weisr-Expanding-Poly-Fabric-Files/

If you get one, get one with a zip top and not a flap so you don't have to pull it out every time you want to get into or out of it. I'm considering getting one for home too so I can transfer papers, because my bag gets HEAVY by the end of the semester. Each class and activity I have gets a pocket and papers go in there. The end.

For #2, I just put it into my phone's calendar. If you don't like the one on your phone, maybe you can find one you do like as an app. I use one called something like Agenda (I don't have my phone right here). I always have my phone on me and I always have it remind me 1-2 days in advance. You can usually set that as a default for new events.

For #3, I make a lot of lists. I keep pads of paper around the house and brain-dump from time to time. If I'm fretting before I go to bed and can't shut my brain off, I just write it all down. I love making the boxes by things and X-ing them off.

So that's how I organize myself. I don't go colored-pens kind of overboard, although I used to. I'm just too freaking busy now to be bothered, and what I do now works great for me.

 

[485501]

Anyone have experience with the iPod touch? I've already got one (it was included with my computer when I got it) and I'm not willing to get an iPhone if the touch can run apps relevant to vet school (last time I got a phone I walked in to the verizon store and said "which is the most boring phone you have? I'll take that one." And it still had a darn camera on it.)

I've been told the touch can run most apps, but only in advertising. Can anyone vouch for it?

 

[Escalla]

Anyone have experience with the iPod touch? I've already got one (it was included with my computer when I got it) and I'm not willing to get an iPhone if the touch can run apps relevant to vet school (last time I got a phone I walked in to the verizon store and said "which is the most boring phone you have? I'll take that one." And it still had a darn camera on it.)

I've been told the touch can run most apps, but only in advertising. Can anyone vouch for it?

The iPod Touch is great!!! I essentially used it as an iPhone for the last three-four years. It can run any app an iPhone can for the most part. The only tricky thing being that a lot of apps require internet (e.g. maps, shazam, weather, etc.) so you have to be around wi-fi a lot. I had skype on it with my subscription for unlimited calls to Canada/U.S. and talked on it like a phone (just didn't have a call back number) as well as a free texting app (where you do get an actual number). I only switched to an iPhone because the 4S was so cheap once the 5 came out that I couldn't resist 😀 and now I'll probably never go back to having to rely on wi-fi after having a data plan. But the ignorance was bliss for a few years. 😉

oh and you can still get all of the calendar/organization/school-related apps. the only thing limiting you is how often you're in range of wi-fi. and the camera isn't that great. workable, but nothing compared to newer phones nowadays.

 

[hygebeorht]

I have an iPhone I got on Craigslist and I don't have a data plan. There's Wifi almost everywhere I go, and I have the cheapest family plan for me and the mister. For both of us it's like $70/mo, much better than $70/ea with data.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I'm pretty sure with most vet schools an iPod touch should be more than enough since you'll be at home and school a vast majority of the time where you have wifi. As long as your schedule/calendar apps don't require you to be connected to be able to use it, it should be fine.

I have the cheapest smallest data plan with AT&T (200mb or something) and I think I've only gotten that 65% message twice due to playing WW, and the 90% message once because I deliberately turned wifi off and forgot to turn it on again...

Data comes in handy when you're on the road going to a wetlab or something and you need to look up details in an email about it, but really... Not gonna kill you.

 

[orca2011]

I'm pretty sure with most vet schools an iPod touch should be more than enough since you'll be at home and school a vast majority of the time where you have wifi. As long as your schedule/calendar apps don't require you to be connected to be able to use it, it should be fine.

I have the cheapest smallest data plan with AT&T (200mb or something) and I think I've only gotten that 65% message twice due to playing WW, and the 90% message once because I deliberately turned wifi off and forgot to turn it on again...

Data comes in handy when you're on the road going to a wetlab or something and you need to look up details in an email about it, but really... Not gonna kill you.

I actually have to use my data plan a fair bit because I have an android phone and all my friends and family have iPhones. Any time I get set a group message I have to download the message since they're going through iMessage most likely. Kind of annoying, but I've still never received the 65% message since I got my phone.

 

[BlackDog17]

Anyone have experience with the iPod touch? I've already got one (it was included with my computer when I got it) and I'm not willing to get an iPhone if the touch can run apps relevant to vet school (last time I got a phone I walked in to the verizon store and said "which is the most boring phone you have? I'll take that one." And it still had a darn camera on it.)

I've been told the touch can run most apps, but only in advertising. Can anyone vouch for it?

I have an iPod touch that went everywhere with me for five years until I got a smartphone for Christmas this year. I love the touch! Like others have already said, you need WiFi to run some apps, but I hardly ever ran into a situation where I desperately needed to run something and couldn't find WiFi. We had it in every building at my undergrad, and most major businesses like McDonald's, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Staples, etc have it for free, so usually it was just a matter of going a few minutes out of my way to the nearest one and signing in.

Some of my favorite apps:
- Google GoTasks. Basically just a simple to-do list app, but you can organize things into groups (school, work, bills, etc) and then form subgroups (homework, projects, reading, etc) so every thing stays in one place. You can also set reminders to notify you. It's super easy to use, and definitely helped me keep on top of things when life started getting busy.

-Pandora. Need WiFi to run it, but it's still the same great free radio.

-WhiteNoise. For those times when you desperately need to study but the room is noisy and music is distracting you . You can create your own mixes of sounds (I have an airplane/train/fan mix that I like!) and I find it's perfect for drowning out background noise and helping me focus.

-TextFree. It gives you an actual number so you can send and receive texts for free. You need WiFi to run it, but otherwise it's great if your phone doesn't have unlimited texting. I mostly used it for guys that I met at the bar who I didn't want to give my real number to.

-Andrew Johnson Hypnosis Apps. Seriously. If you have any trouble sleeping at night for any reason, this guy's smooth Scottish accent puts me out in minutes. It's a godsend on those nights when you're stressed and you can't seem to get your brain to turn off.


I'm sure other people can chime in on more vet school specific apps, but those are some that I've found most useful. I definitely loved my iTouch, and I actually feel kind of bad now that I've abandoned it for my new Droid smarthphone. 🙁

 

[equineconstant]

Organization-wise, I use a paper agenda for assignments. I write in something like "PY homework due" on the due date, and then a reminder each day leading up to it for however long I think I need to, in bullet form. I usually look ahead about 2 weeks and then set up bullet points a week or two in advance of the deadline. For meetings, talks, class, etc. I put it in my phone. I've got the default alarm set for 15 minutes, so I get reminded in time to get where I need to be.

 

[Escalla]

-TextFree. It gives you an actual number so you can send and receive texts for free. You need WiFi to run it, but otherwise it's great if your phone doesn't have unlimited texting. I mostly used it for guys that I met at the bar who I didn't want to give my real number to.

Brilliant!!! 😀 I have never thought of that...I used it for when I was traveling and didn't have use of my phone, but this idea is great! I'm downloading it onto my iPhone now for that purpose!

My touch now lives in my car as my driving companion, but I also feel guilty having moved on to a smartphone... 🙁

 

[Escalla]

I know I'm not that far south where the heat and humidity is a major problem, but I hate both and have central A/C and it's great. And the bills were surprisingly not that horrible when sharing with a roomie. You're definitely going to want it if you're somewhere humid. Or you'll need a million fans.


For organization, I have the S3 as well and Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, so I just use Google Calender to keep track of everything since it syncs with everything. Also, some of the clubs use Google Calender to sign up for shadowing so that makes everything easier.

For my notes, I download them as a PDF to dropbox and then take notes on them with my tablet. Then I upload it to dropbox and print them to OneNote so everything is organized. I used to just take notes on OneNote with my computer, but I learn better by writing, and find I pay attention more, so it seems to be working out better.

I've heard Evernote is good, but I can't figure out how to actually write on it from my tablet.

I've never had a tablet, but I do want to get one for vet school for this reason! Do you have a stylus or something that you can write on your notes with? Do you still bring your laptop around? Carrying just a tablet would be awesome! 🙂

 

[orca2011]

I've never had a tablet, but I do want to get one for vet school for this reason! Do you have a stylus or something that you can write on your notes with? Do you still bring your laptop around? Carrying just a tablet would be awesome! 🙂

My tablet comes with a stylus, so that's what I use. I usually still bring my computer because there are certain classes I still use it for and I also tend to make my study guides on it for exams. Its still way easier to multi task on a computer.

 

[Escalla]

My tablet comes with a stylus, so that's what I use. I usually still bring my computer because there are certain classes I still use it for and I also tend to make my study guides on it for exams. Its still way easier to multi task on a computer.

Ok, cool! I absorb things better when I can scribble on them so a tablet would be really useful in that sense. As opposed to the alternative of buying a couple hundred ink packs and printing everything out...😛

 

[485501]

Thanks for the iPod touch reviews, everyone!

 

[KCgophervet]

My tablet comes with a stylus, so that's what I use. I usually still bring my computer because there are certain classes I still use it for and I also tend to make my study guides on it for exams. Its still way easier to multi task on a computer.

So I was browsing online today and looking at the tablet/laptop hybrids places are coming out with. They are on the pricier end of things, but I'm wondering if that wouldn't combine the best of both worlds. Does anyone have any experience with them?

 

[cowgirla]

So I was browsing online today and looking at the tablet/laptop hybrids places are coming out with. They are on the pricier end of things, but I'm wondering if that wouldn't combine the best of both worlds. Does anyone have any experience with them?

I have this tablet PC (http://www.amazon.com/HP-TouchSmart-TM2-1070US-12-1-Inch-Riptide/dp/B0031ESWPC) and for classroom work, I love it. It is on the heavy side though, so I'm not sure what my plan for clinics is. I don't see myself carrying it around the hospital, although I will probably park it in the rounds room. It also does boot up a lot slower than most tablets so not as good for on the go type things.
I'm considering an older modelcheap Ipad or something like that, since I have a lot of e-versions of different textbooks and they are a pain to navigate on my phone, as are big sites like VIN and other references. I like the idea of the tablet PC's where the tablet part disconnects from the rest. I feel like that would be a lot lighter and portable, but I wonder about battery life and processor speed of the tablet part itself. .

 

[orca2011]

So I was browsing online today and looking at the tablet/laptop hybrids places are coming out with. They are on the pricier end of things, but I'm wondering if that wouldn't combine the best of both worlds. Does anyone have any experience with them?

I looked into it, but when I'm using a laptop, I like a larger screen so that kind of ruled them out for me. My little tablet is fine, but when I'm doing extended work, the bigger screen helps me. Plus, they tend to be heavier and like you said, on the expensive side. That being said, my laptop ended up being fairly pricey (mainly due to the insurance plan) but I do like it. It's rather light for a 15" screen. A classmate of mine had one of the Lenovo ones but i don't like the little scroll ball on their keyboard and she doesn't really use it anymore. I don't know if it was an older computer and it died or if she decided she wanted something smaller and lighter.


As for processor speed and battery life, my tablet does pretty well. It lags a little at times when importing PDFs documents to S Note (which is the program I take notes in) but that varies so I think it's somewhat dependent on where I save the PDF. I charge it every couple of days really.

 

[hygebeorht]

Craigslist. I'm such a ***** for Craigslist. But seriously, all my furniture is from there, and my phone, and my apartment, and some of my friends akshully. And one of my cats. I look at tablets on there every once in a while, but I can't justify even those low prices.

 

[nyanko]

supplies needed for vet school: lots of pot, lots of vodka and maybe some klonopin.

 

[devyn]

supplies needed for vet school: lots of pot, lots of vodka and maybe some klonopin.

you forgot the feckin whiskey...... oh and chocolate - a large supply of chocolate as well.....

 

[cowgirla]

I am not exactly the most organized person in the world, so this may or may not work for others, but I use a combo of Google Calendar, OneNote and Dropbox for EVERYTHING in my life. Google calendar syncs between computer and phone. Onenote file syncs to dropbox so I can access my notes from any computer. All of my study guides and things like that are also in dropbox for easy access. If you have a smart phone you can also access dropbox/onenote from that. It can be a PITA to navigate, but great for looking up something super quick if you know where it is.

For those not familiar - Dropbox
I use a program called "synctoy" to sync folders to it, so that if I forget and save something to my computer it automatically uploads to dropbox. My class notes in Onenote are also set to automatically sync so I don't have to worry about computer crashes making me lose anything 🙂

 

[twelvetigers]

Clever use of referral link there... Somebody wants more GB!

 

[orca2011]

Clever use of referral link there... Somebody wants more GB!

Hahaha. Who doesnt really? Another perk to my tablet. Think I got like 50 gb for free.

 

[cowgirla]

Clever use of referral link there... Somebody wants more GB!

Shh, don't tell.
Honestly I don't even really need the space at the moment. But last time I talked about Dropbox I got about 18 PMs from lurkers asking me what dropbox was and how they could find it. I'm hoping to avoid that.

 

[Filly Bay]

I just downloaded dropbox a few days ago and haven't really had time to look into using it yet but everyone's positive reviews of it make me excited!

I also use google calendar to keep my life on track. Not sure if I would ever know where I was going without it haha...I love that it syncs on my phone, ipad, and computer.

Another app/website I've found helpful this year is studyblue.com I made flashcards on my computer and then flip through them on my phone or ipad. A lot quicker than writing out the flashcards! It also sorts them into ones you got right and wrong so you can study the wrong ones again.

 

[felinelvr44]

Dropbox was invaluable when I was planning my wedding. I put every wedding document in there so I could pull up vendor info or price comparisons wherever and whenever I wanted. It made shopping for vendors much easier (I didn't have to lug around a huge binder with me everywhere) and I was never without some tidbit of research I had done or some gorgeous "inspiration" photo I had found online.

 

[felinelvr44]

Does anyone have a particular brand/style of lab coat they like? I'm tall so the sleeves always end up being too short for me. I've seen a few "tall" sizes but they usually start at a women's size 8 or so and I need something smaller than that. I think if I tried a unisex/men's tall I would look like I was playing dress-up which is not the look I'm going for

 

[Lissarae06]

Does anyone have a particular brand/style of lab coat they like? I'm tall so the sleeves always end up being too short for me. I've seen a few "tall" sizes but they usually start at a women's size 8 or so and I need something smaller than that. I think if I tried a men's tall I would look like I was playing dress-up which is not the look I'm going for

Is there somewhere you can try them on?

 

[StartingoverVet]

Does anyone have a particular brand/style of lab coat they like? I'm tall so the sleeves always end up being too short for me. I've seen a few "tall" sizes but they usually start at a women's size 8 or so and I need something smaller than that. I think if I tried a unisex/men's tall I would look like I was playing dress-up which is not the look I'm going for

After the first week of anatomy, I doubt you or anyone else will care how you "look". Mostly it is about how you smell, and all 1st years smell BAD.

 

[DVMDream]

After the first week of anatomy, I doubt you or anyone else will care how you "look". Mostly it is about how you smell, and all 1st years smell BAD.

That smell just never comes out either...

Although, I do think the smell of a pig farm is worse (emiloo don't kill me... ).

 

[jmo1012]

After the first week of anatomy, I doubt you or anyone else will care how you "look". Mostly it is about how you smell, and all 1st years smell BAD.

my "crap" lab coat is short in the sleeves, but is usually roll them up at least once to help avoid getting some ick on it or staining in bact lab. my school coat (given to us by the school) fits well though

 

[felinelvr44]

After the first week of anatomy, I doubt you or anyone else will care how you "look". Mostly it is about how you smell, and all 1st years smell BAD.

I guess I'm more concerned with the extra bulk in a too-large lab coat getting in the way. As a smaller person I find that if I'm swimming in a lab coat all that extra fabric (including big baggy sleeves rolled up) tends to bump into things and get lab juice on me.

 

[jmo1012]

I guess I'm more concerned with the extra bulk in a too-large lab coat getting in the way. As a smaller person I find that if I'm swimming in a lab coat all that extra fabric (including big baggy sleeves rolled up) tends to bump into things and get lab juice on me.

if you're just buying a lab coat for getting dirty (not for clinics and nice stuff), i would find one that fits well elsewhere and just roll the sleeves a little so it doesn't look like they're short. mine is just at/proximal to my wrist so i roll it up 3-4" - probably not worth spending money to get the "perfect" lab coat for the dirty work. school/clinics coat(s)? absolutely - but anatomy juices and stains are gross!

 

[felinelvr44]

if you're just buying a lab coat for getting dirty (not for clinics and nice stuff), i would find one that fits well elsewhere and just roll the sleeves a little so it doesn't look like they're short. mine is just at/proximal to my wrist so i roll it up 3-4" - probably not worth spending money to get the "perfect" lab coat for the dirty work. school/clinics coat(s)? absolutely - but anatomy juices and stains are gross!

If I'm remembering the supplies list correctly, I think we'll need at least one coat for getting dirty (which I already have from organic chem lab - with too-short sleeves) and two clean coats. So I was trying to shop for the new, "clean" coats and just want to look semi-presentable. Being tall sucks sometimes.

 

[cbarne01]

Find a nice little old lady who can sew. It might be your grandmother or your best friend's neighbour, but someone you know has a seamstress/tailor that they use and trust. Buy the thing to suit your arms and shoulders, the bulk can be adjusted.

 

[deleted497320]

If I'm remembering the supplies list correctly, I think we'll need at least one coat for getting dirty (which I already have from organic chem lab - with too-short sleeves) and two clean coats. So I was trying to shop for the new, "clean" coats and just want to look semi-presentable. Being tall sucks sometimes.

What supplies list are you talking about? Did Cornell send you something specific? (I admit I've been shoving all non-financial aid paperwork to the side to avoid having to actually plan for the future. 😛 )

 

[felinelvr44]

What supplies list are you talking about? Did Cornell send you something specific? (I admit I've been shoving all non-financial aid paperwork to the side to avoid having to actually plan for the future. 😛 )

Well now it's my turn to admit that I'm being a weirdo and with some searching, found the student handbook for the c/o 2016. Shopping for vet school is much more fun that studying for physics. And I figured we'd need the same stuff they did...

 

[deleted497320]

Well now it's my turn to admit that I'm being a weirdo and with some searching, found the student handbook for the c/o 2016. Shopping for vet school is much more fun that studying for physics. And I figured we'd need the same stuff they did...

That's brilliant. 🙂 I might do the same this summer.

 

[cs5910]

Can any vet students recommend lab coat companies/websites? Thank you for all of your help!! 😍😍

 

[felinelvr44]

Can any vet students recommend lab coat companies/websites? Thank you for all of your help!! 😍😍

If you google "lab coats" or "women's lab coats" you'll get a bunch of sites that sell 'em (and scrubs). Allheart, Justlabcoats, PulseUniform, MedicalScrubsMall, even Amazon come to mind. I'm still searching for the perfect coat 😛

In my searching, I did find these: http://www.medelita.com/womens-lab-coats.html
Waaaay too expensive for vet school but I think I'll be treating myself to one of these once I graduate 😀

 

[orca2011]

Can any vet students recommend lab coat companies/websites? Thank you for all of your help!! 😍😍

If you have any medical supplies or scrub stores in your area, check there too. I bought mine from one off the sale rack.

 

[jmo1012]

anyone use the sharpie gel highlighters? i'm getting a little grumpy as the semester winds down at how quickly my highlighters are dying off (just the yellow ones)

 

[hygebeorht]

Not really a highlighter user at all. What do you use them for?

 

[jmo1012]

Not really a highlighter user at all. What do you use them for?

😱everything! note taking in class, note taking out of class, study guides, flash cards, you name it!

yellow is my main class color, but i have 7 other colors for class too. i dont remember if this was typical in previous semesters - i dont think so! i can't figure out if its just the island getting to them or maybe i'm going a little overboard these days

 

[orca2011]

😱everything! note taking in class, note taking out of class, study guides, flash cards, you name it!

yellow is my main class color, but i have 7 other colors for class too. i dont remember if this was typical in previous semesters - i dont think so! i can't figure out if its just the island getting to them or maybe i'm going a little overboard these days

I use highlighters and a set of 25 colored felt tip pens...you're not alone. I like my colors!

 

[dyachei]

anyone use the sharpie gel highlighters? i'm getting a little grumpy as the semester winds down at how quickly my highlighters are dying off (just the yellow ones)

the gel ones tend to die quicker, IMO.

 

[BlackDog17]

anyone use the sharpie gel highlighters? i'm getting a little grumpy as the semester winds down at how quickly my highlighters are dying off (just the yellow ones)

I've never used the gel ones but I love me some erasable highlighters, and unfortunately they seem to run out much faster than the regular ones. I've found that storing them writing side down helps. I keep extras on hand so as one starts to die, I can store it upside down and let it "recharge" for a bit while I move on to the next one.

 

[bbeventer]

I use highlighters and a set of 25 colored felt tip pens...you're not alone. I like my colors!

Maybe I should get me some colored felt tip pens? I was thinking of expanding my colored pencil selection, but pens seem much easier to use.

 

[orca2011]

Maybe I should get me some colored felt tip pens? I was thinking of expanding my colored pencil selection, but pens seem much easier to use.

I prefer pens to pencils. These are the ones I have. Stabilo Pens

 

[hygebeorht]

I always end up smashing the felt tips down to nothing long before the ink wears out. But I prefer the artists' pens with like 0.3 nibs that are too delicate anyway.

Quick survey: if you had to pick one and only one style of pen, would you prefer bold point or fine point? Style of pen (roller, gel, fountain) doesn't matter. It can be whatever.

I prefer fine all the way. Roller, not gel, though fountains are nice.

 

[Squeaksmom]

Fine, roller, liquid ink. Anybody that I work or go to school with can tell you that I'm extremely fussy about my pens.