Don't shoot me but I need some advice!! Has anyone ever contemplated switching from Pre-Vet to Pre-Med or am I the only one dealing with this dilemma??
Switching Anyone??
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I think it's really normal to consider switching - after all, you're making a pretty huge life decision. Have you tried shadowing/volunteering with both vets and "regular" doctors? The more you explore your options, the more options you can eliminate and you'll be able to make a better decision. I recently switched from pre-opt after working for an optometrist, talking to another, and stalking the pre-opt SDN forum. I realized it just wasn't for me (and its outlook wasn't very good). And although I'm not sure about vet school either, I'm going to shadow vets and if it's not for me? Move on to the next option!
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If you're talking about a formal declaration at your school, it isn't necessary to be "pre" anything... If you're unsure about what direction you want to take, focus on taking the prerequisite courses that are common to both, and engage in extracurricular, employment and volunteer experiences that will expose you to both fields until you make your decision. Although I have wanted to be a vet since around the age of 8, I have been on the fence for about the past four years about pursuing a career as a PA or MD instead. Every choice has its pros and cons, and it's ultimately your choice (easy to say, but even I am uneasy about declaring to friends and family that I am wanting to pursue vet school again after telling them I was looking into med school the past few years... I feel like they will be disappointed in me or think I am selling myself short).
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I'd say to keep exploring! There are tons of specialties in both fields that you may be interested in. And if you're not sure, don't try to force a decision...you still have plenty of time.
Another thing you might want to look into (I'm not really sure how this would work for vets/doctors though) is combining your interests. My friend who is pre-dent is currently shadowing a dentist who not only does people teeth but also works with zoo animals - he occasionally does root canals on elephants! 😀
Another thing you might want to look into (I'm not really sure how this would work for vets/doctors though) is combining your interests. My friend who is pre-dent is currently shadowing a dentist who not only does people teeth but also works with zoo animals - he occasionally does root canals on elephants! 😀
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What is it that you like and dislike about each profession?
I think it's totally normal about being on the fence. I used to really want to go into human medicine until I realized how much a vet does. I even went through a period this past year where I was reading an account of an internist and was really engaged, so I thought I'd rather do that, but after a zoology class and another summer of shadowing vets, I realized how much I love this profession.
It sounds like you're having lots of trouble figuring out which is better, but like hellohelloduh mentioned don't force yourself. It's a big commitment either way, and you want to be happy and regretless, and not waste thousands of dollars on something you end up disliking. So if you have to take a year off and gain more experience to figure out which path is more important do so. Try to broaden your horizons even more, spend a day following a vet who works on different animals or whose a specaltist, same applies for the doctor side.
Good luck!
It sounds like you're having lots of trouble figuring out which is better, but like hellohelloduh mentioned don't force yourself. It's a big commitment either way, and you want to be happy and regretless, and not waste thousands of dollars on something you end up disliking. So if you have to take a year off and gain more experience to figure out which path is more important do so. Try to broaden your horizons even more, spend a day following a vet who works on different animals or whose a specaltist, same applies for the doctor side.
Good luck!
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oh I am the queen of switching between pre-med and pre-vet. I was pre-vet my freshman year of college, then pre-med my sophomore year (I even held an office for Pre-med club), then finally pre-vet my junior year and now I'm about to start vet school
there are a lot of things to consider. shadowing is definitely something you should do, but sometimes just sitting down and talking to a doctor or vet you know can be even more helpful.
for example, with vet school you do not have to do a residency. med school you do. human doctors for the most part make a lot more money. however, human doctors have a greater chance of being sued etc. and having worse hours.
think about your passions and what's most important to you. after all, just because you love animals does not mean you have to work with them.
finally, after thinking it through, pick one and then just go for it. if after awhile you really really feel the nagging to go the other, then that's your gut choice, and switch and stay. but you can't keep switching or else it will hurt your chances of getting into a school period.
just so you know, I'm starting vet school in a week and I still have days where I think about how great human medicine would have been. but then I remember all my reasons for choosing vet and I'm reassured I did the right thing.
okay sorry this was so long, I just felt like it was something I struggled with forever!! good luck!
there are a lot of things to consider. shadowing is definitely something you should do, but sometimes just sitting down and talking to a doctor or vet you know can be even more helpful.
for example, with vet school you do not have to do a residency. med school you do. human doctors for the most part make a lot more money. however, human doctors have a greater chance of being sued etc. and having worse hours.
think about your passions and what's most important to you. after all, just because you love animals does not mean you have to work with them.
finally, after thinking it through, pick one and then just go for it. if after awhile you really really feel the nagging to go the other, then that's your gut choice, and switch and stay. but you can't keep switching or else it will hurt your chances of getting into a school period.
just so you know, I'm starting vet school in a week and I still have days where I think about how great human medicine would have been. but then I remember all my reasons for choosing vet and I'm reassured I did the right thing.
okay sorry this was so long, I just felt like it was something I struggled with forever!! good luck!
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I personally have ONLY ever wanted to be a vet, and I'm so glad my dream is coming true!
However, a story about a fellow pre-vet I advised in undergrad may provide some insight for you . . .
She started out pre-med but always loved animals, so after freshman year she switched to pre-vet. All throughout sophomore and junior years she was a shining star pre-vet student, accumulating amazing experiences, acing every pre-req, and dead-set on her goal. I loved meeting with her and giving her advice since I knew she'd get accepted to most of the schools to which she was planning on applying.
This summer she started on applications, completing her personal statement way ahead of time, and securing letters of recommendation. However, I hadn't heard from her for a while, so I checked in to see how her apps were going. She wrote me a long response, explaining that she no longer wants to pursue vet med, but instead some sort of animal behavior or primatology program. She's still searching for her true passion, but knows it isn't vet med.
To make a long story short (well, it's still kinda long, but bear with me 😳), I just wanted to say how much I admire her for truly listening to her heart and being honest with herself. Sometimes we get so stuck on one goal that we don't allow ourselves to be who we really are and change our minds.
Perhaps you are honestly confused and unsure of your passions. OR, perhaps you have a deep dark desire and are afraid to admit it, even to yourself (let alone your friends and family, who all expect certain things out of you). Definitely take a while to listen to your inner voice and decide what's best for YOU! Don't feel like you are letting anyone down, because in the end you have nobody to let down but yourself!
However, a story about a fellow pre-vet I advised in undergrad may provide some insight for you . . .
She started out pre-med but always loved animals, so after freshman year she switched to pre-vet. All throughout sophomore and junior years she was a shining star pre-vet student, accumulating amazing experiences, acing every pre-req, and dead-set on her goal. I loved meeting with her and giving her advice since I knew she'd get accepted to most of the schools to which she was planning on applying.
This summer she started on applications, completing her personal statement way ahead of time, and securing letters of recommendation. However, I hadn't heard from her for a while, so I checked in to see how her apps were going. She wrote me a long response, explaining that she no longer wants to pursue vet med, but instead some sort of animal behavior or primatology program. She's still searching for her true passion, but knows it isn't vet med.
To make a long story short (well, it's still kinda long, but bear with me 😳), I just wanted to say how much I admire her for truly listening to her heart and being honest with herself. Sometimes we get so stuck on one goal that we don't allow ourselves to be who we really are and change our minds.
Perhaps you are honestly confused and unsure of your passions. OR, perhaps you have a deep dark desire and are afraid to admit it, even to yourself (let alone your friends and family, who all expect certain things out of you). Definitely take a while to listen to your inner voice and decide what's best for YOU! Don't feel like you are letting anyone down, because in the end you have nobody to let down but yourself!
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If you mean switching your major, it doesn't really matter. Pre-requisites are generally the same across the board, and vet school won't care so long as you have the right classes.
As for the direction you want to take in life, I think it's important to gain experience in both fields - for vet med, have you explored something other than small animal? For med, have you explored something other than pediatrics? I think this might help, because you may find out that you love surgery or exotic animals or something other than what you've been doing. I think that's really the way for you to head, at least now.
Don't feel obligated to be a vet because you love animals. Doctors can still have pets! I think that's a common problem with the pre-vet people I know (or that start out as pre-vet): they think that because they do well in science and love animals, they must become a vet. Not true! You can be a human doctor and have pets, or explore another career that lets you interact with animals every day (research, behavior, animal caretaker, trainer, etcetcetc). I think what helped me to solidify my decision to be a vet was exposure to other animal-related careers, actually. It made me realize that working with animals every day just wasn't enough! I wanted the science, the chance to educate others, the opportunity to be an active, responsible, leader-like figure in my community, etc. (I'm getting a little sappy, sorry.)
Anyway! Explore. There will be something out there that just grabs you and won't let go, and then you'll know 🙂 Good luck!
As for the direction you want to take in life, I think it's important to gain experience in both fields - for vet med, have you explored something other than small animal? For med, have you explored something other than pediatrics? I think this might help, because you may find out that you love surgery or exotic animals or something other than what you've been doing. I think that's really the way for you to head, at least now.
Don't feel obligated to be a vet because you love animals. Doctors can still have pets! I think that's a common problem with the pre-vet people I know (or that start out as pre-vet): they think that because they do well in science and love animals, they must become a vet. Not true! You can be a human doctor and have pets, or explore another career that lets you interact with animals every day (research, behavior, animal caretaker, trainer, etcetcetc). I think what helped me to solidify my decision to be a vet was exposure to other animal-related careers, actually. It made me realize that working with animals every day just wasn't enough! I wanted the science, the chance to educate others, the opportunity to be an active, responsible, leader-like figure in my community, etc. (I'm getting a little sappy, sorry.)
Anyway! Explore. There will be something out there that just grabs you and won't let go, and then you'll know 🙂 Good luck!
D
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TheEvilShoe (???lol), I really like your reasoning for pursuing vet over med. I have been dealing with the same human- v animal- career debate, and I'm glad this thread was started because it lets me know that I'm not alone and my doubts and inner turmoil are normal!
I've looked at several career fields over the past few yeasr: athletic trainer, physical therapist, physician assistant, medical doctor, and now I've come full circle to the career that was my first choice until I was around 22: veterinarian. I remember my reasons for being turned away from becoming a veterinarian in the first place- it seemed like a lot of school and debt and stress for something that didn't seem very rewarding. The vets I worked for (at two different SA practices) were cranky and business focused, except for the one vet that was only a year or two out of CSU. The vets spent little time hands-on with their patients, and one of them would skimp on drugs and such so he could get more profit (he charged the normal amt of drug to euthanize a pig for someone, but gave them less than the full dose trying to increase his profit margin; the pig was on a gurney in the kennel waiting to be picked up for disposal in the morning, woke up and fell off the gurney onto the concrete floor).
Much like that redhead said, my mother pointed out that I could go into human medicine and still be able to enjoy animals. As a doctor I could make enough money to pursue my hobbies of riding, be able to volunteer at an wildlife rehab or zoo, etc. Would I have the TIME to do those things though? And how would I feel about going to a hospital every day, and probably being stuck there not knowing when I was going to get to go home and catch a nap? How will the healthcare reform affect doctor's work schedules and compensation? Would I end up burned out and sick of listening to people's complaints? Dr House is awesome, but most of us couldn't get away with being passive agressive and sarcastic as doctors 🙂 There are so many things to think about involving life after professional school. I know I would get more respect and money as a doctor or even a PA, but it would be at a price.
I can't wait to get out of the military and get some more hands-on with animals again. The one job that I've had where I actually looked forward to getting up in the morning and going to work was when I worked at a zoo with camels. I miss fur and wool and feathers. 🙁
I've looked at several career fields over the past few yeasr: athletic trainer, physical therapist, physician assistant, medical doctor, and now I've come full circle to the career that was my first choice until I was around 22: veterinarian. I remember my reasons for being turned away from becoming a veterinarian in the first place- it seemed like a lot of school and debt and stress for something that didn't seem very rewarding. The vets I worked for (at two different SA practices) were cranky and business focused, except for the one vet that was only a year or two out of CSU. The vets spent little time hands-on with their patients, and one of them would skimp on drugs and such so he could get more profit (he charged the normal amt of drug to euthanize a pig for someone, but gave them less than the full dose trying to increase his profit margin; the pig was on a gurney in the kennel waiting to be picked up for disposal in the morning, woke up and fell off the gurney onto the concrete floor).
Much like that redhead said, my mother pointed out that I could go into human medicine and still be able to enjoy animals. As a doctor I could make enough money to pursue my hobbies of riding, be able to volunteer at an wildlife rehab or zoo, etc. Would I have the TIME to do those things though? And how would I feel about going to a hospital every day, and probably being stuck there not knowing when I was going to get to go home and catch a nap? How will the healthcare reform affect doctor's work schedules and compensation? Would I end up burned out and sick of listening to people's complaints? Dr House is awesome, but most of us couldn't get away with being passive agressive and sarcastic as doctors 🙂 There are so many things to think about involving life after professional school. I know I would get more respect and money as a doctor or even a PA, but it would be at a price.
I can't wait to get out of the military and get some more hands-on with animals again. The one job that I've had where I actually looked forward to getting up in the morning and going to work was when I worked at a zoo with camels. I miss fur and wool and feathers. 🙁
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Don't be turned off from the field because the vets you have known so far ranged from burned out to unethical jerks. Neither of those is exclusive to vet med or health sciences in general! It's true that any type of medicine can be hard work and emotionally and physically exhausting, but I have met plenty of vets who have been practicing, some of them for several decades, and still enjoy or even love their jobs!
I read someone saying the other day that, as long as you strive to keep learning and practicing the best medicine you possibly can, you can usually still find ways to enjoy what you do; settling for doing a mediocre job will ultimately make you miserable. I suppose that applies to whatever a person decides to do with their life. That said, there certainly is burn out, frustration and financial worries that can come in vet med (but isn't that true in any field?), but vet med allows you tremendous flexibility to CHANGE something about your career to make it work for you. Practice owner v associate, pvt pratice v academics, practice v research/other, one practice v relief work, large v small v exotics, going back for more specialization, CE in a new area, rural v urban, etc. Even now, if working for grumpy vets in a general SA practice isn't working for you, try some emergency work or shadow a large animal vet. Of course, you can try the same for MD shadowing now, but realize that their options for change later in their careers may be more limited or requires going back to a resident payscale and workload that may be untenable for someone later in life.
I read someone saying the other day that, as long as you strive to keep learning and practicing the best medicine you possibly can, you can usually still find ways to enjoy what you do; settling for doing a mediocre job will ultimately make you miserable. I suppose that applies to whatever a person decides to do with their life. That said, there certainly is burn out, frustration and financial worries that can come in vet med (but isn't that true in any field?), but vet med allows you tremendous flexibility to CHANGE something about your career to make it work for you. Practice owner v associate, pvt pratice v academics, practice v research/other, one practice v relief work, large v small v exotics, going back for more specialization, CE in a new area, rural v urban, etc. Even now, if working for grumpy vets in a general SA practice isn't working for you, try some emergency work or shadow a large animal vet. Of course, you can try the same for MD shadowing now, but realize that their options for change later in their careers may be more limited or requires going back to a resident payscale and workload that may be untenable for someone later in life.
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I'll be guilty to myself and admit I'm struggling with a similar decision. Or was, anyways.
I just transferred colleges and though it took a while, I decided to "let it go". I have three years left here - it gives me a long time to truly decide what I'd like to do. I'm (hopefully) getting involved in a biogeochemistry lab (studies nutrients in water and how it affects the marine life kind of thing) and volunteering at a hospital - right now I'm not certain what I want to do, and for once, it's actually reassuring.
I know it's stressful, but please take care of yourself - my younger sister is going into her senior year of high school and is having breakdowns from the stress of having to make so many important decisions. I simply made them by ignoring them.
It's how I ended up at a community college.
I know if I do decide vet later (say my senior year) it'll be a rush to get experience, etc. But..it's really not going to kill me if I take an extra year to try to work full-time in the field and decide it's exactly what I want to do with my life. Right now I'm leaning towards research...I live in Washington, and marine biology has always fascinated me. I think it'd be useful to study what's going on up in the Salish Sea where the orcas live (plus I love cetaceans. So much.), particularly concerning their food supply. It seems dry to everyone else (I get lots of blank stares), but hey. More room for me.
I guess bottom line...try out both. Not just once, but try to do it continually. If the vets/physicians are catty, focus on what they are doing, not just what they act like. Is that something you could see yourself doing? It's important to get right down into the nitty gritty, I think.
I just transferred colleges and though it took a while, I decided to "let it go". I have three years left here - it gives me a long time to truly decide what I'd like to do. I'm (hopefully) getting involved in a biogeochemistry lab (studies nutrients in water and how it affects the marine life kind of thing) and volunteering at a hospital - right now I'm not certain what I want to do, and for once, it's actually reassuring.
I know it's stressful, but please take care of yourself - my younger sister is going into her senior year of high school and is having breakdowns from the stress of having to make so many important decisions. I simply made them by ignoring them.
It's how I ended up at a community college.I know if I do decide vet later (say my senior year) it'll be a rush to get experience, etc. But..it's really not going to kill me if I take an extra year to try to work full-time in the field and decide it's exactly what I want to do with my life. Right now I'm leaning towards research...I live in Washington, and marine biology has always fascinated me. I think it'd be useful to study what's going on up in the Salish Sea where the orcas live (plus I love cetaceans. So much.), particularly concerning their food supply. It seems dry to everyone else (I get lots of blank stares), but hey. More room for me.
I guess bottom line...try out both. Not just once, but try to do it continually. If the vets/physicians are catty, focus on what they are doing, not just what they act like. Is that something you could see yourself doing? It's important to get right down into the nitty gritty, I think.
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I was pre-vet all the way up to my last year of undergrad. All of a sudden, I switched to pre-med. I still can't pinpoint the reasons....maybe it was influence from those around me or the fear that vet school would be that much more intense! I stayed pre-med until I was accepted into medical school.
I did 1 semester then realized that vet was totally for me and I was in the wrong field. Now here I am aiming for vet school because I just know its for me. Sometimes we change our mind but go with your gut feeling. If human med feels right...then do it. If vet med gives you that "right" feeling, keep at it and follow through!
I did 1 semester then realized that vet was totally for me and I was in the wrong field. Now here I am aiming for vet school because I just know its for me. Sometimes we change our mind but go with your gut feeling. If human med feels right...then do it. If vet med gives you that "right" feeling, keep at it and follow through!
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Human med is my backup if I don't get into vet med. I'm entering my 3rd year of undergrad next month and will be applying to vet school this year. If I don't get in, next year I'll be applying to both med and vet school, since I've had to write the MCAT for OVC anyways.
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