Thoughts on Texas A&M

[ematt768]

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Hey guys,

Well I am currently trying to make my choice, and wanted to know what people have heard/think/have experienced at Texas A&M.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Good luck everyone.

 

[4paws]

Your question may be a little too vague...

It sounds as if you have a choice in programs. What schools are you trying to choose between?

I work with several vets that went there, so I can only tell you what I've heard about it. Other than it's a good school and it will be hard (the same answer you'd get regarding any other school).

 

[InfiniVet]

If you have any questions or thoughts please don't hesitate at all to contact me 👍

I promise I'm only mildly biased! I did apply to CSU, Minnesota, Ohio, UF, and NCSU...so I can do some comparisons.

 

[4paws]

InfiniVet, does every single person that didn't take the summer anatomy class wish they had? How much does it affect how people do in the class?

 

[InfiniVet]

Hehe, this is a great question.
There's a reason it's not required, but only suggested.
The grossly oversimplified short & sweet answer is: If you take it, you're more likely to get a C or above. If you don't, you're more likely to get a C or below. It really doesn't seem to make a huge difference.


There were 2 people (out of 130!!) as far I as know that got A's in Small Animal anatomy in our class, and neither of them had had anatomy before. It just appealed to them, they were insanely into it, much to the loss of grades of their other classes. Then when large animal anatomy was next, one of the girls told me she had zero interest in large animal anatomy and made a C. The other girl just gets A's & B's in everything. She is a machine & I don't know how she does it.

I personally didn't take the summer anatomy class, and all during that 1st semester I wished I had. I still got a C though.
Then I looked around and noticed that folks who had taken the class were working just as hard as me. A girl in my dissection group had taken the course and she was just as clueless as me.
Looking back, I'm really glad I didn't and just enjoyed my summer.

Anatomy is a monster of a course. Everyone struggles with it. It truly is one of those things where you get back what you put in. I would think you would have to work hard over the summer, and work hard again during the fall semester.

Honestly I think taking a Latin course would serve you better. Because that will help you in all of your courses. Same with medical terminology.

 

[4paws]

Is there any PBL involved in the curriculum? It looks like there is during the 1st 2 years, but I can't tell for sure from the course descriptions.

 

[InfiniVet]

"pbl"?

 

[twelvetigers]

Problem based learning, like what they do exclusively at Western. A lot of schools have a bit of it worked into the curriculum somewhere. Not really sure how to explain it, exactly, but Google knows. 😉

 

[InfiniVet]

Aha! Ok ya I getcha.

We just call them "cases." They integrate cases into lecture. Yes it is very much part of every course for the 1st two years...the instructors do realize how valuable it is to learn via working up cases.
So like in pharmacology you are expected to learn all the antimicrobials before coming to each lab, because during lab you are going to practice reading MIC breakpoints and determining which drugs to use for a set of hypothetical patients.
Then in parasitology they'll do a lecture on heartworms, followed by radiographs from a real case and participate with the audience to work through the reasoning for a diagnosis.

Thats also how rounds are taught...and there are multiple rounds every day.


The last 2 years are less classroom and more into "Real World Medicine" with actual slave labor clinical case work with client's animals.

In your 3rd year you have Medicine Courses. These integrate everything you have been taught over the previous 2 years. Needless to say they're hard as hell. Other than those courses you are rarely in the classroom - and more in the clinics, or on your electives. Thats why the "curriculum" gets smaller and smaller in 3rd year. You actually have no free time at all.

And 4th year you are pretty much a practicing veterinarian without pay. If thats not PBL I don't know what is 😉

 

[jay47]

Hehe, this is a great question.
There's a reason it's not required, but only suggested.
The grossly oversimplified short & sweet answer is: If you take it, you're more likely to get a C or above. If you don't, you're more likely to get a C or below. It really doesn't seem to make a huge difference.


There were 2 people (out of 130!!) as far I as know that got A's in Small Animal anatomy in our class, and neither of them had had anatomy before. It just appealed to them, they were insanely into it, much to the loss of grades of their other classes. Then when large animal anatomy was next, one of the girls told me she had zero interest in large animal anatomy and made a C. The other girl just gets A's & B's in everything. She is a machine & I don't know how she does it.

I personally didn't take the summer anatomy class, and all during that 1st semester I wished I had. I still got a C though.
Then I looked around and noticed that folks who had taken the class were working just as hard as me. A girl in my dissection group had taken the course and she was just as clueless as me.
Looking back, I'm really glad I didn't and just enjoyed my summer.

Anatomy is a monster of a course. Everyone struggles with it. It truly is one of those things where you get back what you put in. I would think you would have to work hard over the summer, and work hard again during the fall semester.

Honestly I think taking a Latin course would serve you better. Because that will help you in all of your courses. Same with medical terminology.

Although I was only an undergrad student, I saw all of you vet students in the lab working at the same time as we did. My first thought was, "dang I'm glad we only have to learn the dog!" ...lol... I guess that's why I chose dentistry.