Things that make a bad pre-vet

[pp9]

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It's kind of like comparing apples to oranges.

Vet school - there really aren't safety schools, you have to be a pretty competitive applicant to get interviews and acceptances. But our entry test is the GRE, not the MCAT. There are under 50 AVMA accredited schools.

Med school - different tiers of med schools in both MD and DO degrees - there are some that act more like safety schools than others. You don't need experience hours in the 100's to 1000's to be accepted. You have to take the MCAT. There are hundreds of med schools in the US alone.

 

[jcc3sa]

Well, some pretty intelligent people think that because you actually can. If I'd followed a traditional route and hadn't started college when I was 16, I could have just gone home to Australia for vet school and started right after high school. A lot of other countries have that as an option. I'm not sure if foreign students are able to start straight after high school in these countries, however.

I s'pose my comment could only be taken to apply to the US. Even if you didn't go to college on a major track/4 year plan, you'd have to knock out all the prereqs after high school anyway. I do realize that many schools don't technically require a bachelor's degree, but, as seems to be the case across the board, some 45-60 credit hours of prerequisites are required.

 

[jcc3sa]

Seeing as you're in vet school, you're obviously already privy to these things. Just wanted to clarify my intended point, not lecture you haha 😀

 

[rockatiel]

Well, some pretty intelligent people think that because you actually can. If I'd followed a traditional route and hadn't started college when I was 16, I could have just gone home to Australia for vet school and started right after high school. A lot of other countries have that as an option. I'm not sure if foreign students are able to start straight after high school in these countries, however.

I'd assume not because their curriculums are much more intense than ours.

 

[rockatiel]

.....

HOPEFUL?! Nooooooooooooooooo

 

[hazelmoo]

HOPEFUL?! Nooooooooooooooooo

I wonder if she sent them a bribe also? -__-

 

[Pugsforlove2014]

When you look at a pre-vet student and they obviously don't study much at all, I mean they've go the brains and everything just lazy. Then they go and get surprised they only get Ds in their classes but you don't have the heart to tell them that just isn't going to cut it. D:

 

[DVMDream]

When you look at a pre-vet student and they obviously don't study much at all, I mean they've go the brains and everything just lazy. Then they go and get surprised they only get Ds in their classes but you don't have the heart to tell them that just isn't going to cut it. D:

Heck, I would have no problem telling them that isn't going to cut it....

I mean... you have two options: Tell them and maybe piss them off but at least they have heard the truth. Or let them go about not knowing what the truth is and then they waste their money on an education they are doing crap in because no one has bothered to say, "hey dufus... snap out of it, act like an adult and get your ish together."

It is up to them if they listen to you or not.

 

[Starry-chan]

This was long before I came to SDN (I only started viewing threads here from time to time maybe a year ago), so probably the former...a pre-vet would totally get shut down if they came on here today with such a pretentious gunner attitude, lol

I know right?!?! That's how you know that they don't come here or at least didn't stay for very long lol Because this forum would eat that attitude alive... 😀

 

[LetItSnow]

(Things that make a bad pre-vet)

.... posting in the "things that make a bad vet" thread with some snobby, superior, I'm-so-much-smarter-than-this-vet attitude.

 

[pirateyoho]

Might be somewhat along the lines of "gunners", but people who are.....that way, to the point of being arrogant. It's hard to explain, but sometimes after seeing groups of pre-vets (both online and IRL) I got this vaguely uncomfortable feeling of exclusivity or pretentiousness, like not only with regards to academic competitiveness but in having specific views on the "best" way to be (e.g. "only bio/biochem/chemistry are rigorous/worthy majors, good luck finding a job with a worthless Animal Sci degree!" or "you'll NEVER be a vet if you can't [x thing not directly related to vet med] right now") and, I don't know, those kind of people almost made me worried that if I got into vet school it would turn out to be elitist-cliquey and I wouldn't "belong." An arrogant/condescending pre-vet is def a bad one and also ties into a lot of the other problems listed in this thread.

Of course, I did not have this problem with my pre-vet animal sci classmates in undergrad and reading SDN has shown me that the vet med community nothing like that at all 🙂 everyone is so welcoming and willing to advise, even to new freshmen pre-vets worried their stats have been wrecked by a couple Bs 😉 makes me anticipate getting in somewhere and meeting classmates.

Goodness, this makes me want to start a "Things that make a bad vet student" thread, because this is still a problem in vet school. When I make good grades, it's something that I'm actually uncomfortable talking about because I never want to be overheard by someone who's struggling and make them feel worse. Vet school has taught me that this doesn't seem to be a universally-held opinion. There's also a lot of "Oh, and don't forget x and y cause z..." going on in the halls right before an exam, where 1) that extra information is not going to be helpful this close to the test, and 2) your smug expression is showing me you only want me to admire what an obscure part of our notes you remembered to look over.

So no, unfortunately the elitist attitude doesn't go away. At least not at my school. (That said, there are also plenty of really cool people in my class who will make great veterinarians. They just don't get to me like the obnoxious ones do lol.)

 

[Devastating]

Goodness, this makes me want to start a "Things that make a bad vet student" thread, because this is still a problem in vet school. When I make good grades, it's something that I'm actually uncomfortable talking about because I never want to be overheard by someone who's struggling and make them feel worse. Vet school has taught me that this doesn't seem to be a universally-held opinion. There's also a lot of "Oh, and don't forget x and y cause z..." going on in the halls right before an exam, where 1) that extra information is not going to be helpful this close to the test, and 2) your smug expression is showing me you only want me to admire what an obscure part of our notes you remembered to look over.

So no, unfortunately the elitist attitude doesn't go away. At least not at my school. (That said, there are also some plenty of really cool people in my class who will make great veterinarians. They just don't get to me like the obnoxious ones do lol.)

Sorry to hear about those people! I wonder how much of this environment would depend on the school attending (I mean, obviously it would mostly depend on the behavior of the individuals present in each class, but you know). I've seen a lot of the threads on here cite particular schools as having a less/more competitive atmosphere as a pro/con.

 

[pirateyoho]

Sorry to hear about those people! I wonder how much of this environment would depend on the school attending (I mean, obviously it would mostly depend on the behavior of the individuals present in each class, but you know). I've seen a lot of the threads on here cite particular schools as having a less/more competitive atmosphere as a pro/con.

It's funny, because I got advice from a friend of mine who was in her second year at another school (because I had gotten in there as well and was considering attending), and she told me to run for the hills to another school because that atmosphere was so bad at her institution. Apparently even the professors were difficult to work with and helped foster this competitive environment by picking obvious favorites, etc. So I would say I'm sure it's better at some places and worse at others, but I'm also sure that, just given the type of person it takes to get into vet school (very competitive, very dedicated, very passionate), it'll happen to some degree no matter where you go.

 

[pirateyoho]

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Goodness, this makes me want to start a "Things that make a bad vet student" thread, because this is still a problem in vet school. When I make good grades, it's something that I'm actually uncomfortable talking about because I never want to be overheard by someone who's struggling and make them feel worse. Vet school has taught me that this doesn't seem to be a universally-held opinion. There's also a lot of "Oh, and don't forget x and y cause z..." going on in the halls right before an exam, where 1) that extra information is not going to be helpful this close to the test, and 2) your smug expression is showing me you only want me to admire what an obscure part of our notes you remembered to look over.

So no, unfortunately the elitist attitude doesn't go away. At least not at my school. (That said, there are also plenty of really cool people in my class who will make great veterinarians. They just don't get to me like the obnoxious ones do lol.)

Yea, that seems like it could get annoying very quick. I tend to keep to myself. By no means am I a recluse, but I am very reserved when it comes to new environments and situations where I begin at the bottom of the totem pole. I am a driven and competitive person, and I do work hard, but I'd rather prove that through my work and actions, and not flaunt it around like a d-bag.

I hope the school I end up attending (positive thinking 😀) isn't too bad.

 

[Cephal0pod]

When I make good grades, it's something that I'm actually uncomfortable talking about because I never want to be overheard by someone who's struggling and make them feel worse.

Yes, yes, yes. Exactly. I have definitely experienced struggling in something and hearing another person gloat about their success - not fun. Not about to do that to somebody else.

So no, unfortunately the elitist attitude doesn't go away. At least not at my school.

Ugh. Sad to hear that, though also not surprised.

 

[vetmedhead]

Goodness, this makes me want to start a "Things that make a bad vet student" thread, because this is still a problem in vet school. When I make good grades, it's something that I'm actually uncomfortable talking about because I never want to be overheard by someone who's struggling and make them feel worse. Vet school has taught me that this doesn't seem to be a universally-held opinion. There's also a lot of "Oh, and don't forget x and y cause z..." going on in the halls right before an exam, where 1) that extra information is not going to be helpful this close to the test, and 2) your smug expression is showing me you only want me to admire what an obscure part of our notes you remembered to look over.

So no, unfortunately the elitist attitude doesn't go away. At least not at my school. (That said, there are also plenty of really cool people in my class who will make great veterinarians. They just don't get to me like the obnoxious ones do lol.)

That's upsetting to hear, especially since other vet students should know exactly how difficult vet school is and how important it is to support one another through the process.

 

[LetItSnow]

That's upsetting to hear, especially since other vet students should know exactly how difficult vet school is and how important it is to support one another through the process.

Eh. Just like real life, there are all types of vet students. Some are asshats, some are arrogant and cocky and simply Can't BeLIEVE how anyone couldn't get problem 10 on that last exam right because it was So Obvious, and some are quiet and just trudge on through and keep their head down and some like to work with others and some like to work alone ....

I mean, in general the atmosphere was more collegial than undergrad, for sure, because personalities aside you all have pretty much the same short-term goal. But it's still a disparate group of personalities like real life.

 

[DVMDream]

Eh. Just like real life, there are all types of vet students. Some are asshats, some are arrogant and cocky and simply Can't BeLIEVE how anyone couldn't get problem 10 on that last exam right because it was So Obvious, and some are quiet and just trudge on through and keep their head down and some like to work with others and some like to work alone ....

I mean, in general the atmosphere was more collegial than undergrad, for sure, because personalities aside you all have pretty much the same short-term goal. But it's still a disparate group of personalities like real life.

Yup... there are also those that want to discuss things with others up to the minute before the exam and those that don't. Those that want to discuss every single question after exams and those that want to run away and forget about it.

All types of personalities.

I think what is worse is when people assume their personality is the proper one. Just because I don't want to hash out every single question after an exam, doesn't mean others can't. Or just because I don't want to review things in the last few minutes prior to an exam, doesn't mean others can't. After exams, I would go home or head upstairs until the next class/lecture or until the next exam.

What bothered me more were the people that complained about "those people who have to discuss all the exam questions"... ok... you do realize you can walk away from that? Or choose not to listen to them, if you don't want to hear it. They aren't doing anything wrong.

We were actually at a week or so before an exam (while I was in Scotland so one exam/semester over everything, so if you aren't studying more than a week prior, you are going to have a bad time) and I was discussing something with a classmate at school to clarify a topic and someone else told us to "shut up I don't want to hear about vet things right now." I am like, "uhh, you are in vet school with a bunch of veterinary students and we are actually at school currently. If we were out trying to have fun, you would have a point, but we aren't. Second, I wasn't talking to you, so piss off and mind your own business."

 

[Coquette22]

It's funny, because I got advice from a friend of mine who was in her second year at another school (because I had gotten in there as well and was considering attending), and she told me to run for the hills to another school because that atmosphere was so bad at her institution. Apparently even the professors were difficult to work with and helped foster this competitive environment by picking obvious favorites, etc. So I would say I'm sure it's better at some places and worse at others, but I'm also sure that, just given the type of person it takes to get into vet school (very competitive, very dedicated, very passionate), it'll happen to some degree no matter where you go.

I think I've said this before, but atmosphere can vary even within a school. Two classes in a given school can be completely different depending on the people in the class. AVC 2015 was pretty laid back and cooperative. AVC 2014 was much more competitive and cliquey.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Every class has its own personality.

The class ahead of mine was the Whiney Class. We were the Laid-Back (also called the Apathetic, heh) Class. The two after us were the Party Class and then the Overachiever Class.

 

[battie]

Eh. Just like real life, there are all types of vet students. Some are asshats, some are arrogant and cocky and simply Can't BeLIEVE how anyone couldn't get problem 10 on that last exam right because it was So Obvious, and some are quiet and just trudge on through and keep their head down and some like to work with others and some like to work alone....

I read a lot of that in Neil Patrick Harris's voice.

 

[Ashgirl]

Goodness, this makes me want to start a "Things that make a bad vet student" thread, because this is still a problem in vet school. When I make good grades, it's something that I'm actually uncomfortable talking about because I never want to be overheard by someone who's struggling and make them feel worse. Vet school has taught me that this doesn't seem to be a universally-held opinion. There's also a lot of "Oh, and don't forget x and y cause z..." going on in the halls right before an exam, where 1) that extra information is not going to be helpful this close to the test, and 2) your smug expression is showing me you only want me to admire what an obscure part of our notes you remembered to look over.

So no, unfortunately the elitist attitude doesn't go away. At least not at my school. (That said, there are also plenty of really cool people in my class who will make great veterinarians. They just don't get to me like the obnoxious ones do lol.)

This may not be the norm, but we were told last year around this time that the "drama" will die down as you go along (might just be apathy overcoming everything 😛). For my class at least, it's completely true. I would say that we had a lot more "facebook drama" and scolding than your class, and some really "Look how smart I am!" attitude that first semester. It's pretty much non-existent now (or maybe I really live under a rock....). For the most part we are now pretty close-knit, though everyone is right in the fact that your class might be a bit better or worse than ours. Overall though, I would say that your class will most likely follow the trend and calm down as you progress through the curriculum. You'll honestly be surprised at how many mellow out, but that might just be the side effect of vet school crushing their soul 😛

Sorry to hear about those people! I wonder how much of this environment would depend on the school attending (I mean, obviously it would mostly depend on the behavior of the individuals present in each class, but you know). I've seen a lot of the threads on here cite particular schools as having a less/more competitive atmosphere as a pro/con.

No, I would say this is not hugely dependent on school...when you spend 10+ hours with the same people in the same classrooms with lots of stress and exams in the pressure cooker environment that is vet school.... you're going to get drama, cliches, elitism, wherever you go. I would say that no matter what institution you go to there is ALWAYS going to be that one or two people that are full of themselves and are hard to be around. That doesn't mean there is a competitive atmosphere overall. We definitely have those few, but we also have 100 other people who post tons of study guides, flashcards, party/hiking/sporting/dinner invitations, group sessions, etc. If you are struggling with anything, I can guarantee there is someone (at my school at least), that will help you, so I personally think overall it's a very supportive environment.

 

[Foxhunter]

One thing that bothers me is students who I know want to go into private practice and I know have 3.8's or higher who cry about getting a B- on a therio exam that was worth 15% of the semester grade. Take a chill pill

 

[DVMDream]

One thing that bothers me is students who I know want to go into private practice and I know have 3.8's or higher who cry about getting a B- on a therio exam that was worth 15% of the semester grade. Take a chill pill

Why does them wanting to go into private practice matter?

I roll my eyes at anyone that cries over a B- in vet school. I am an equal opportunity eye-roller. 😉 😛

 

[Trilt]

One thing that bothers me is students who I know want to go into private practice and I know have 3.8's or higher who cry about getting a B- on a therio exam that was worth 15% of the semester grade. Take a chill pill

Haha. They make me giggle. Like, I get complaining about grades if you want a competitive internship/residency, but if you don't need the GPA.... chillax. Learn what you need to learn and stop stressing. Are you with c/o '17 right now?

 

[DVMDream]

Haha. They make me giggle. Like, I get complaining about grades if you want a competitive internship/residency, but if you don't need the GPA.... chillax. Learn what you need to learn and stop stressing. Are you with c/o '17 right now?

Meh, I don't really give two ****s about grades but after being in the UK for 2 years and busting my ass studying to only get 55% (this is a C in the US and anything below a 50% is not passing), it gets exhausting to constantly be working hard and scraping by. So, I get it. You don't have to want a competitive internship or residency to just want your grades to once reflect your effort. Which is why a B-would make me thrilled.

 

[Trilt]

Meh, I don't really give two ****s about grades but after being in the UK for 2 years and busting my ass studying to only get 55% (this is a C in the US and anything below a 50% is not passing), it gets exhausting to constantly be working hard and scraping by. So, I get it. You don't have to want a competitive internship or residency to just want your grades to once reflect your effort. Which is why a B-would make me thrilled.

That's fair. I have a very lax approach to grades so the idea of complaining about a B doesn't really compute well, but I can get that if the grade doesn't adequately represent your effort it would be very frustrating.

 

[Minnerbelle]

One thing that bothers me is students who I know want to go into private practice and I know have 3.8's or higher who cry about getting a B- on a therio exam that was worth 15% of the semester grade. Take a chill pill

It annoys me just as much when people complain and whine and freak out about that "because I'm a special snowflake who wants to become a surgeon/zoo vet/get an angell internship, and that's not good enough for me! It matters to me because I don't want to be mediocre (implying you are). waaaaahhhhhhh"

I never talked about my grades because it's such a touchy topic with so many people... But this is when it made me want to go, 'oh too bad that someone okay being so mediocre like me keeps wrecking the curve for special people like you"


This brings to the same sort of bad vet student, but clinics version:

It was kinda sad but funny when these students 4th year would be a kiss-ass during clinics and hog this case and that case to impress certain faculty members with a lot of pull in their fields. And then when they finally ask for a LOR, they get a luke-warm conditional okay. Then it's very gratifying when the same clinician pulls you, the mediocre non-special student aside, and offers a glowing letter to you unprompted and when they find out that you aren't applying to internships, go "oh that's too bad. I'd love to have you as an intern here."

Faculty members aren't stupid. They see a ton of students go by each year so they can easily see through games people play. They know when you are more focused on "standing out" than on your patient/client. They don't care who takes the flashiest cases that take the most attention from the service. Or that you looked up stuff about the newest forms of treatment just to impress them. They're much more appreciative when you're the student who actually bothered to read through the ancient patient's 10 years of complicated history and put together an easy summary for everyone with relevant details and lab value trends, that you're spending extra time with the patient so that they're eating, or you actually make the time to the full PT regimen on your down patients multiple times a day even if it's busy, check up enough on the patients to be able to catch the first signs of fluid overload in your kitty patients, and communicate with the owners to get the extra stuff done and coordinate things so the resident/attending doesn't have to for smooth visits and discharges. All the stuff that makes life easier for the clinicians on the case so that they don't have to worry about your case and focus on the flashier cases. Even for the boring old UO or kidney failure patient.

 

[hazelmoo]

http://www.drandyroark.com/myneedforasalmostcostmeeverything/

 

[Innerspeaker]

The one's who think they know everything about what it's like in vet school without even being there. Extra negative points if someone actually in vet school corrects them on their misconceptions and they shoot them down like they don't know what they're talking about. For example, there will be some that ask questions or opinions, but when they didn't like the answers, they tried to argue for the answers they wanted to hear. :/

In general, anyone who shoots down all the advice of actual vet students or recent grads/practicing veterinarians (within reason). Not everyone is trying to kill your dreams or make you feel bad when they offer constructive criticism on your chances of being accepted or give you a reality check on what you're getting yourself into, some people really, really just want to help someone in a way they wish they were helped when they were in your shoes.

 

[Minnerbelle]

The one's who think they know everything about what it's like in vet school without even being there. Extra negative points if someone actually in vet school corrects them on their misconceptions and they shoot them down like they don't know what they're talking about. For example, there will be some that ask questions or opinions, but when they didn't like the answers, they tried to argue for the answers they wanted to hear. :/

In general, anyone who shoots down all the advice of actual vet students or recent grads/practicing veterinarians (within reason). Not everyone is trying to kill your dreams or make you feel bad when they offer constructive criticism on your chances of being accepted or give you a reality check on what you're getting yourself into, some people really, really just want to help someone in a way they wish they were helped when they were in your shoes.

Lol, the prevet who says they know better because they are an undergrad at the university with the vet school, and they are the president of pre-vet club or something. But... I'm a vet student at that same veterinary school, I can tell you for a fact that's not how it works. Doesn't matter. Prevet knows better. We haven't had one of those in a while. But it was good times when it happened.

 

[DVMDream]

It annoys me just as much when people complain and whine and freak out about that "because I'm a special snowflake who wants to become a surgeon/zoo vet/get an angell internship, and that's not good enough for me! It matters to me because I don't want to be mediocre (implying you are). waaaaahhhhhhh"

I never talked about my grades because it's such a touchy topic with so many people... But this is when it made me want to go, 'oh too bad that someone okay being so mediocre like me keeps wrecking the curve for special people like you"

This. I never discussed grades in Scotland. Actually we'd simply go, "did you pass?" With a simple yes/no response needed. We didn't ever care about actual grades, we just wanted everyone to pass. Then I transfer and someone is all... "what'd you get?" "Oh, I passed, that's all that matters"..."yeah but what was your grade" "Umm, that doesn't matter"

It was just a very odd switch.

I also get annoyed with those who want internships/residencies believing that the rest of us should just shrug and be ok with mediocre or barely passing because "you don't need more". I mean, I definitely was ok with it but it starts to beat you down after time. Luckily it didn't happen long for me, just that first year, but it got old fast especially because we only had one exam that determined our entire grade. I'd like to see some of these students deal with a UK grading/testing scheme, they'd lose their ****.

 

[Foxhunter]

Haha. They make me giggle. Like, I get complaining about grades if you want a competitive internship/residency, but if you don't need the GPA.... chillax. Learn what you need to learn and stop stressing. Are you with c/o '17 right now?

No. But I did just get to spend two weeks in business. So that was awesome

 

[Megrim]

This. I never discussed grades in Scotland. Actually we'd simply go, "did you pass?" With a simple yes/no response needed. We didn't ever care about actual grades, we just wanted everyone to pass. Then I transfer and someone is all... "what'd you get?" "Oh, I passed, that's all that matters"..."yeah but what was your grade" "Umm, that doesn't matter"

It was just a very odd switch.

I also get annoyed with those who want internships/residencies believing that the rest of us should just shrug and be ok with mediocre or barely passing because "you don't need more". I mean, I definitely was ok with it but it starts to beat you down after time. Luckily it didn't happen long for me, just that first year, but it got old fast especially because we only had one exam that determined our entire grade. I'd like to see some of these students deal with a UK grading/testing scheme, they'd lose their ****.

Just popping onto the thread here. I see people talking about the tensions within a class, and the cliquey/arrogant atmospheres, etc... I can say my class wasn't anything like that, and I'm very grateful for it. I think it had a lot to do with culture. We were always very supportive of each other, sharing resources, making big google docs for studying for finals, lots of questions and discussion on our facebook group. No one talked about grades beyond pass/fail. You suspected certain people of being the "good grades" people, but no one was really sure. Certain classmates always had really thorough, helpful answers to questions, and so they (we - I guess I was one of them) were known as "most likely getting the highest grades" but also "people to ask for trustworthy answers."

It's interesting to see that you encountered a similar kind of thing in Scotland vs when you transferred. I've always been suspicious that the highly competitive US schools have a more unpleasant environment, and the student culture at my school was one of the biggest advantages of having gone to NZ. I mean, I've heard horror stories from vets and transfer students, about the competition and every-man-for-himself culture. But I definitely agree with everyone saying each class is unique. That was so true for our school. The class below me had a way different personality than our class. There was also a class with an elitist group of post-grads who'd all done masters and things, and wouldn't really give anyone else the time of day. So I wonder if it's just luck of the draw, how "nice" of a class you end up with.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I don't think I've ever had anyone point blank ask me what grade I got on anything. I've had a couple of annoying isolated individuals try and say things to get it out of me in a roundabout way, but those were people deficient in social skills, not how a vast majority of my classmates were.

Other than people who were upset about poor exam grades who told me had badly they did (like legitimately bad enough they worried about not passing the course), i didn't know anyone else's grades either unless there was a funny story attached to it or something.

 

[DVMDream]

Just popping onto the thread here. I see people talking about the tensions within a class, and the cliquey/arrogant atmospheres, etc... I can say my class wasn't anything like that, and I'm very grateful for it. I think it had a lot to do with culture. We were always very supportive of each other, sharing resources, making big google docs for studying for finals, lots of questions and discussion on our facebook group. No one talked about grades beyond pass/fail. You suspected certain people of being the "good grades" people, but no one was really sure. Certain classmates always had really thorough, helpful answers to questions, and so they (we - I guess I was one of them) were known as "most likely getting the highest grades" but also "people to ask for trustworthy answers."

It's interesting to see that you encountered a similar kind of thing in Scotland vs when you transferred. I've always been suspicious that the highly competitive US schools have a more unpleasant environment, and the student culture at my school was one of the biggest advantages of having gone to NZ. I mean, I've heard horror stories from vets and transfer students, about the competition and every-man-for-himself culture. But I definitely agree with everyone saying each class is unique. That was so true for our school. The class below me had a way different personality than our class. There was also a class with an elitist group of post-grads who'd all done masters and things, and wouldn't really give anyone else the time of day. So I wonder if it's just luck of the draw, how "nice" of a class you end up with.

Oh there were plenty of the snarky, "I'm better than everyone. Look at me" people in my Scotland class too. I just avoided them. And for the most part, you didn't hear talk about specific grades. There was definitely some cliques and groups in Scotland too, the class above us didn't have that issue as much.

Here, it is hard for me to tell because I don't know everyone having transferred in. There are definitely some cliques and different personalities but that's going to happen when you have 100+ people all together for multiple years. There are friendly people here and things were shared such as study guides or quizlet flash cards. And on clinics most everyone has been good. I've encountered a few case dodgers and a kiss ass but, for the most part, my classmates have been fairly nice to work with.

I mean, you can't put over 100 people together and not expect small groups of friends to develop. You can't expect everyone to get along. However, it is also easy to avoid or ignore those you don't get along with.

 

[DVMDream]

I don't think I've ever had anyone point blank ask me what grade I got on anything. I've had a couple of annoying isolated individuals try and say things to get it out of me in a roundabout way, but those were people deficient in social skills, not how a vast majority of my classmates were.

Other than people who were upset about poor exam grades who told me had badly they did (like legitimately bad enough they worried about not passing the course), i didn't know anyone else's grades either unless there was a funny story attached to it or something.

Nope person I sat next to would point blank ask my grade. Then he'd get disappointed when mine was higher. He'd get a high grade then ask me and well, he brought it upon himself. I told him I don't really reveal grades (simply for that reason) but he wanted to know. He's a food animal guy trying to compare/compete grades in small animal med that I had already taken the semester before transferring so I basically was getting a semester long review of small animal med. I even told him this, he still asked after every exam.

 

[Trilt]

No. But I did just get to spend two weeks in business. So that was awesome

gross.

Nope person I sat next to would point blank ask my grade. Then he'd get disappointed when mine was higher. He'd get a high grade then ask me and well, he brought it upon himself. I told him I don't really reveal grades (simply for that reason) but he wanted to know. He's a food animal guy trying to compare/compete grades in small animal med that I had already taken the semester before transferring so I basically was getting a semester long review of small animal med. I even told him this, he still asked after every exam.

That's weird to me. Everyone in my class talked pretty ambiguously about grades - "did worse than expected," "better" "sucked balls" etc.

 

[Minnerbelle]

What a douche

 

[DVMDream]

What a douche

It always worked out worse for him... not sure why he kept asking...

He is actually a really good guy, just odd that he always wanted to know exactly what grade I got.

 

[pirateyoho]

Yup... there are also those that want to discuss things with others up to the minute before the exam and those that don't. Those that want to discuss every single question after exams and those that want to run away and forget about it.

All types of personalities.

I think what is worse is when people assume their personality is the proper one. Just because I don't want to hash out every single question after an exam, doesn't mean others can't. Or just because I don't want to review things in the last few minutes prior to an exam, doesn't mean others can't. After exams, I would go home or head upstairs until the next class/lecture or until the next exam.

What bothered me more were the people that complained about "those people who have to discuss all the exam questions"... ok... you do realize you can walk away from that? Or choose not to listen to them, if you don't want to hear it. They aren't doing anything wrong.

We were actually at a week or so before an exam (while I was in Scotland so one exam/semester over everything, so if you aren't studying more than a week prior, you are going to have a bad time) and I was discussing something with a classmate at school to clarify a topic and someone else told us to "shut up I don't want to hear about vet things right now." I am like, "uhh, you are in vet school with a bunch of veterinary students and we are actually at school currently. If we were out trying to have fun, you would have a point, but we aren't. Second, I wasn't talking to you, so piss off and mind your own business."

Oh, sure. I walk away from conversations all the time. I hope I didn't imply with my "things that make a bad vet student" tease that I thought my personality in particular was the "proper" one. But when a pre-vet on this thread voices their hope about vet school being a cooperative place where people aren't arrogant, elitist, or competitive anymore...ha. ha. ha.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Oh, sure. I walk away from conversations all the time. I hope I didn't imply with my "things that make a bad vet student" tease that I thought my personality in particular was the "proper" one. But when a pre-vet on this thread voices their hope about vet school being a cooperative place where people aren't arrogant, elitist, or competitive anymore...ha. ha. ha.

Wait til you see all the pissing matches clinicians get into with each other in the teaching hospital. It's like 😵 and very uncomfortable when you are thrown in the middle of it.

 

[pirateyoho]

Wait til you see all the pissing matches clinicians get into with each other in the teaching hospital. It's like 😵 and very uncomfortable when you are thrown in the middle of it.

I'm already stressed just thinking about it. Vet school is evidently not for the non-confrontational.

 

[DVMDream]

Wait til you see all the pissing matches clinicians get into with each other in the teaching hospital. It's like 😵 and very uncomfortable when you are thrown in the middle of it.

I've been middle man between two services this past week. What is more comical is that the one actually thinks I have some type of power to authorize moving of a patient. So annoying. Please leave me out of your battles. Thanks.

 

[Coquette22]

That's weird to me. Everyone in my class talked pretty ambiguously about grades - "did worse than expected," "better" "sucked balls" etc.

Same. To the point that my mother didn't seem to understand why I didn't know everyone else's grade. After most exams any discussion around grades amounted to, "Did you pass? Me too. Let's go get nachos at Hunter's."

 

[Foxhunter]

Why does them wanting to go into private practice matter?

It feels like missing the forest for the trees. I've talked to many people in positions to hire associates and what matters to them are abilities and functional knowledge, not grades. Being able to communicate effectively with clients, treat staff well, think critically, admit your weaknesses, and problem solve are much more desirable qualities than a 3.9 GPA.

It's a lot easier for me to understand being upset by a less than perfect grade if you know you want to do an academic internship and therefore know you need an excellent transcript.

That being said there are lots of reasons to be upset by a grade. Ranging from I busted my ass and this doesn't feel like it reflects the knowledge I know I gained to I'm really disappointed I didn't try harder and get a grade that represents my abilities.

I roll my eyes at anyone that cries over a B- in vet school. I am an equal opportunity eye-roller. 😉 😛

Me too. Me too.

 

[Foxhunter]

My biggest pet peeve, that I was extremely guilty of is the memorize stuff for the exam and dump it. I really regret having done that for the first two years of vet school. I'm lucky enough that my brain is really good at memorizing details temporarily so I could just read through the notes once, make a quizlet on them, and study it for three hours and pass the exam, but I wouldn't remember anything. Looking back I feel like I've done a disservice to my future clients and patients. Yea sometimes I got really great grades on exams, but now I barely remember 15% of the stuff I learned for it. I wish I'd focused more on having a working/functional knowledge instead of passing/getting a B+ or higher/getting through the exam to be onto the next one. When I return for third year (in God knows how many years), I will definitely take a very different approach to studying because I think the attitude I used to have was immature and disrespectful to the importance of the job I will eventually have.

The farther I get along, the more I realize that the important thing is learning the material not passing or acing the tests. My class was definitely a gunner class and so many people focused on getting the best grade possible without any actual retention. I have much more respect for my friends who got B's and C's in classes but still know more than 80% of the material that they did on test day than the people who aced an exam but now can't even remember what receptor a drug acts on or whether an antibiotic is effective against Gram-negative bacteria.

 

[DVMDream]

It feels like missing the forest for the trees. I've talked to many people in positions to hire associates and what matters to them are abilities and functional knowledge, not grades. Being able to communicate effectively with clients, treat staff well, think critically, admit your weaknesses, and problem solve are much more desirable qualities than a 3.9 GPA.

It's a lot easier for me to understand being upset by a less than perfect grade if you know you want to do an academic internship and therefore know you need an excellent transcript.

That being said there are lots of reasons to be upset by a grade. Ranging from I busted my ass and this doesn't feel like it reflects the knowledge I know I gained to I'm really disappointed I didn't try harder and get a grade that represents my abilities.

I think you are missing the point of why people who want to go into private practice might be upset about a particular grade rather than them "missing the forest for the trees." Most people who want to do private practice know that GPA isn't a factor and that isn't really what is making them upset. I really think you are kind of missing the point/reasoning.

The point is that it doesn't really matter what you want to do when you graduate (that is 100% irrelevant)... if your grade doesn't reflect the work/effort you put into studying, it is disappointing. Some people adapt and get used to this constant defeat better than others.

 

[Foxhunter]

I think you are missing the point of why people who want to go into private practice might be upset about a particular grade rather than them "missing the forest for the trees." Most people who want to do private practice know that GPA isn't a factor and that isn't really what is making them upset. I really think you are kind of missing the point/reasoning.

The point is that it doesn't really matter what you want to do when you graduate (that is 100% irrelevant)... if your grade doesn't reflect the work/effort you put into studying, it is disappointing. Some people adapt and get used to this constant defeat better than others.

I think I said that that's an understandable reason in the third paragraph. I realize that may be a reason and get it.

The class I started with was incredibly competitive and like cut a bish to get ahead and that's more thenstuff that bothered me. I know people who didn't study a lot and would be upset by relatively good grades.

I had a classmate go on and on about, "how are people struggling with this, I work 40 hours a week, have a great social life, and get all A's..." It was inconceivable to her that she was really lucky to have the sort of mind that could pull that off and she looked down on others for not being that way.