Too much work for Undergrad?

[PetPony]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey there 🙂

I'm starting my undergrad in just under a month and I'm thinking about what I want to do with the next for years of my life. I am majoring in animal science and I am thinking about adding dairy science, because the majority of the classes are the same. Some of my friends are doing completely different things for their double major, so I figured if they're so similar, why not?

Will it help me to also have a dairy science major or do the vet schools just think it's a waste of time because it's so similar with classes? I looked at the class descriptions and it already makes me excited for everything. Or should I minor in it/not worry about it?

I also want to look more into research. Has anybody here done research during their undergrad or is it too much work, getting your major/prereqs while also getting vet experience? I am already talking and trying to find a vet in the Athens area to shadow once or twice a week to get started right away, while not taking on too much my first semester. I don't want to get overwhelmed the first few months of college because I already start out with more hours than recommended by my advisor (17 instead of 13 or 14). If I do good in my classes from the beginning on, will it help on my application to already have a course load like that in my first semester of college? I read somewhere that you get certain points for each semester where you have a certain number of credit hours, but I am not sure anymore if that was really for vet school.

I have owned dogs all my life, rats and mice for about four years, I've been riding for about 12 years now and I'm planning on doing varsity in college, I've worked at different stables and all last summer as a working student where I also went to many horse shows, and I'm regularly dogsitting for usually 6 to 12 days each time. Would it be ok to mainly just focus on getting vet experience now or should I also worry about getting more animal experience?

Thank you for even taking the time to read all this. I don't really have anyone here that is either interested enough in my plans or knows enough to help me out.

 

[SocialStigma]

If you're interested in dairy science and want to add it as a major, then do it! Vet schools don't care what you major in as long as you fulfill the prereqs, so you might as well major in something that interests you.

I started doing lab research in my 3rd year of undergrad and it wasn't too much work (but I also don't work/get experience during the school year - I only shadow vets during the summer/school breaks). I had to write up a paper at the end of my 3rd year, which was basically like a practice thesis and it would have been very beneficial for my actual 4th year thesis (I ended up getting into vet school after 3rd year though, so I won't be back for my 4th year of undergrad). I think if you have an interest in doing research in the veterinary field, it's definitely helpful to have some undergrad research experience under your belt, even if you don't work with animals. But not in your 1st year of undergrad though, you'll have plenty on your plate already.

Not sure about the course load thing but a full course load always looks good since it shows you will be able to handle the rigors of vet school, but be careful not to overwhelm yourself, especially since you're going to be a freshman! I wouldn't start off undergrad by overloading on courses.

It sounds like you're good for animal experience, vet experience is more important so I would focus on getting that. Just as a sidenote though, some vet schools don't count pet ownership as animal experience.

 

[katryn]

SocialStigma pretty much hit the nail on the head, so I won't wax poetic about it some more. My only additional wisdom would be to prioritize all of the things you have planned to do in order of what is most important to you. If you start to burn out, or feel overwhelmed, be prepared to drop whatever activity is at the bottom of your list. This is also very good practice for when you get to vet school.

For example, my list goes something like this:
1. Family, specifically, at least 30 minutes of quality time every day with my husband.
2. School
3. One night every week to two week with my friends
4. Working 15 hours/wk (less if needed)
5. Volunteer work

I handled all of these things, and then some, and still did very well last year, so I plan on keeping up with them next year. But if second year gets too crazy, the first thing that will go is volunteering, then I'll drop my work hours down, or quit all together if needed, etc. This list is also there to remind me that there is one thing in my life that I do absolutely prioritize over Vet School, and I will take a year off for that if needed.

Having a plan has made it infinitely less scary to face the potential stresses of school, knowing that I can cut back, and where I draw the line if needed.

 

[jmo1012]

2 things

1. Look into a dual degree once you get to school (just file that term away in the back of your head to ask an advisor at sometime in the next year or two)

2. as a 1st year student, you will probably have a hard time finding research work even if you did want to add it on. a lot of people take students they've had in previous classes or have a year+ underway to prove maturity and some even want to look at your transcript. i wouldnt bother adding that to your plate at this point, you have plenty to worry about!

All in all, go to college, go to class, study hard, have a lot of fun, and make friends and have a social life your freshman year! You're well on your way to having a great app, stop and smell the roses for a bit 🙂 Your classes will be the easiest this year and take up the least amount of time-it only gets more hectic from here on out so ENJOY it! 🙂

Re 17 credits: I'm going to assume you have a no penalty drop period for your school as well as a penalty drop period. if you find that 17 credits is too much to handle GET RID OF WHATEVER IS DRAGGING YOU DOWN. dont try to save face or be proud or stubborn or whatever, you dont want to start with a low GPA. get rid of a class and learn from the mistake. 17 is a lot to handle when you already have a lot to get used to.

 

[PetPony]

I'm interested in both majors, but if I'd have to choose then I'd take animal science. I guess I'll just see how far I am by the time I'd be choosing those classes. Then I'll see if I can make it.

I don't know if I really want to do research my first year anyways. I want to get used to college life and also have some fun. 🙂 I'm not sure if I want to do research later on after vet school, but right now it sounds interesting. And maybe I'll get more into it during undergrad if I get some experience with it.

I didn't mean to take that much my first semester, but it's just how it worked out with the times and AP credits I got and stuff like that. I didn't want to waste my time taking classes I don't need and that's what I got. hahaha I know it's also about taking classes I enjoy, so I guess it's a good thing I love my major. I already get to work with animals my first semester. 🙂

I know just pet ownership doesn't always count. That's why I was hoping that dogsitting, horseback riding (+ hopefully varsity in college), and being a working student for a summer and even more horse shows later would be good.

 

[PetPony]

Katryn, thank you, I like that idea with prioritizing. I kind of have a plan of what classes I want to take the next years and that already calmed me down a little bit. I like having a plan, so I think adding that list would be a good idea for me.

jmo, I will definitely look into the dual degree. Thank you. I wasn't planning on doing research the first year, but looking around won't hurt, I think. Maybe some professors also like it if I show interest now and then ask about doing some later.

I have to have 15 hours at least in order to be able to apply for honors. So I don't have many choices with dropping a class. Most of them are more than two hours. But I'll still keep it in mind. 🙂

 

[breenie]

Eeek! Don't do 17 your first semester. You can definitely work up to that. Some people are capable of rocking a full load (18 at my university), but they usually didn't do it their first semester. Figure out where you're at and how you handle school, then take it head on.

I was a DY SCI major in undergrad and loved it. 🙂

 

[PetPony]

We have a 1-hour seminar class that is required and I have a hard time finding other class that fit my schedule and that work with my labs. I really was trying to work something different out, but I couldn't really. I have an orientation class that is one hour, but would dropping that really help that much? Apparently you just have to be physically be there and you get an A. I think it's an interesting class in case vet school doesn't work out. It tells you what you can do with an animal/dairy science major. And it could be nice for my GPA to have an easy class.. 😉

 

[squirrelsrule]

I took 17 credit hours my first year of college and I was a post-secondary student from high school so I was only 16. I managed all As and didn't find it too challenging so the next year I took 23 each semester 🙂. Taking 23 was much more demanding, but I didn't have to worry about working to pay it off because my high school was paying the bill so I thought why not go for it and I got all As both semesters. I also took 13 credit hours over the summer, which I would NOT recommend. That was a bit much since I was also volunteering at a petting zoo and 2 of my credits were an internship with the wildlife center and required me to be there 12 hours a week for the summer. It was a lot, but I managed to pull through with all As. I ended up graduating from college with a bachelors degree in 3 years and it worked out really well, but I then had no clue what I wanted to do and it has taken me 5 years to figure out I want to be a vet. So, pretty much I went from being WAY ahead of everyone my age and thought I had it all figured out to finally really figuring things out and being slightly behind people my age. Wouldn't have changed anything though, things have worked out well and hopefully next year I'll be heading off to vet school.

So, sorry to ramble, I'd go with the 17 and see how it goes, if you work hard I don't think you'll have any problems. You do get credit from some schools for taking a more full course load (I know I saw that somewhere, but can't remember what school, possibly Tennessee?) and I am sure even the schools that don't give points will take note of it. Just be careful not to overdo it. Good luck and remember to enjoy it, college gets crazy and hectic sometimes, but overall it is a great experience.

 

[moosenanny]

You do get credit from some schools for taking a more full course load (I know I saw that somewhere, but can't remember what school, possibly Tennessee?)

Mizzou gives out "motivation points" in their evaluation formula. Part of these points account for undergraduate institution reputation, and another part examines course load.

I personally started out with the average 15 credits per semester, but by my third and fourth years I was taking 21 credits per semester (my university's maximum). And, I did better when taking more credits -- not sure why (probably because I was into more upper division classes, which I found more interesting). I think that as long as you know what you are getting into and put in the time necessary, you'll do fine. I'd err on the side of over-studying rather than trying to just get by, and then you can make adjustments once you are doing well. It is harder to add in study time to your schedule once it gets filled up with extracurriculars and friends, so start with guns blazing and take it from there 🙂

 

[cowgirla]

Re: the double major. Make sure the school allows you to do a double major in two similar areas! At my undergrad, any double major had to be completely different departments (IE, Biology and English, or Animal Science and Theater, etc), and there couldn't be more than 15ish credits that were used towards BOTH-- had to be all different classes.
Just something to bear in mind. There might be a reason so many people you know have duals in such different fields 🙂

And I think you should be fine with 17 credits. I had 18+ for my first two years of college (and then started running of classes to take, so only took 12-15 my third/last year. It was a nice change of pace!)

 

[PetPony]

I'm good at working on my own and studying, especially when I have something that motivates me. And what better than trying to get into vet school? It makes me feel a lot better that you guys took more hours at the beginning of college, too, because it made me a bit nervous that I had several hours more than most people I've talked to.

I talked to my advisor and he didn't say anything about not being able to double major in similar areas. I'm planning on doing summer classes, too. Not too much though, because I also want to work. That will hopefully help lighten the load in the next years. Or get me to be able to take more awesome classes. I'm very interested in nutrition stuff, so I'd like to take more classes on that than are required for my majors.

My boyfriend and I started a small business building custom tack trunks, horse jumps and stuff like that. Is that something good to mention on an application? I know it's early to worry about what to put on an application, but I want to figure out if it's worth putting more time into it and really working on that. Also, because I don't want to volunteer/put a lot of time into an organization at the beginning of college/the first year, I want to do a project that I can work on from my dorm room. Making dog toys and blankets out of donated fabrics and shirts and giving them to shelters to help the dogs and make their lives at least a little better. What do you think about that?

 

[nyanko]

You are all crazy people.

I concur with cowgirla about the two major/degree thing. Where I went to do my second bachelors in Molecular Biology and Microbiology, it was specifically stated that if my first degree had a certain # of credits of overlap I would not be able to get a second. Mine did not, since it was in Computer Science, but it was the rule there.

edit: And it's possible that a double major is not the same as getting 2 degrees, as well. There was actually a distinction at the aforementioned university between two separate Bachelors degrees and a double major on one degree. The latter was probably more lenient as to the subject areas, because it's still only 1 degree.

 

[jmo1012]

You are all crazy people.

I concur with cowgirla about the two major/degree thing. Where I went to do my second bachelors in Molecular Biology and Microbiology, it was specifically stated that if my first degree had a certain # of credits of overlap I would not be able to get a second. Mine did not, since it was in Computer Science, but it was the rule there.

edit: And it's possible that a double major is not the same as getting 2 degrees, as well. There was actually a distinction at the aforementioned university between two separate Bachelors degrees and a double major on one degree. The latter was probably more lenient as to the subject areas, because it's still only 1 degree.

i have two degrees and my areas of study overlapped a lot (bio and psych). i cross matched classes from each for several credits at VT, no problems there.

 

[nyanko]

i have two degrees and my areas of study overlapped a lot (bio and psych). i cross matched classes from each for several credits at VT, no problems there.

I think that it was more for things like trying to get bachelors in both Molecular Biology & Microbiology and Biology - the only real differences were a handful of core courses and a few electives that only counted for one or the other, but most were the same. Bio and Psych are far enough apart, really...but I wouldn't think that Animal Science and Dairy Science are. And that's assuming the place this person is going even has a rule like that - it turns out OKSU doesn't seem to (twelvetigers can attest).

edit: FWIW, UC Davis has a similar rule for graduate students doing 2 programs, with the exception of some special agreements in certain graduate groups. I took our first year genetics course in 2008 and helped out with it in 2009 during my MS. Because I counted it for credit towards my MS the first time, I had to re-take it this year in vet school.

 

[breenie]

Let me just comment that 18 credits at one institution is not the same as another.

You have to get an override to take more than 18 at my undergrad, and everyone I know who took 18 in the sciences STRUGGLED. The way our classes/credit hours were distributed made it hard. Our organic chem lab that met for 8 hours a week and had a lot of outside classwork only counted for 2 credits. Not really fair, but whatever.

So keep in mind that 25 at one place may be normal, but 15 at another is challenging. Just because we all had different experiences doesn't mean they will be even remotely meaningful or applicable to you.

 

[PetPony]

I just found out.. I lied. I have 16 credits. I thought I had 17. I have an animal practicum + Lab. I thought the lab was one credit hour, but it doesn't have any credit hours even though it's longer than 4 hours. Oh well. Same with the chem lab: we meet longer than what we get credit for. It's kind of hard to tell how busy someone will be by the credit hours because they don't really tell how many hours of actual work they are..

 

[Minnerbelle]

I just found out.. I lied. I have 16 credits. I thought I had 17. I have an animal practicum + Lab. I thought the lab was one credit hour, but it doesn't have any credit hours even though it's longer than 4 hours. Oh well. Same with the chem lab: we meet longer than what we get credit for. It's kind of hard to tell how busy someone will be by the credit hours because they don't really tell how many hours of actual work they are..

Yep. Sucks to be a science major, but that's just how it is!

 

[squirrelsrule]

You seriously met for 8 hours for O. Chem and only got 2 credit hours for the semester? That stinks big time! We met 8 hours a week (4 hours Monday and 4 hours Wednesday) and got 5 credits for that. That was pretty much how it went with courses. 4 credit hour classes meet 6 hours a week. I guess it just depends on the school.

I know quarter vs. semester can have an impact as well. I haven't ever been on the quarter system, but from what I have heard about it I don't like it.

 

[Alhazred]

My ochem lab met for six hours a week and was more work than all my other classes put together, and I only got two credit hours for it.

 

[PetPony]

I think our Ochem has more credit, but that doesn't make me any more excited or happy about it. hahaha I'm thinking about dedicating a whole summer just to that class while working, so I don't have a ton of other classes to worry on top of it.

How do you guys get enough credit then for vet schools? UGA wants 8 hours of Ochem. Do you have to take two years then?

 

[jmo1012]

I think our Ochem has more credit, but that doesn't make me any more excited or happy about it. hahaha I'm thinking about dedicating a whole summer just to that class while working, so I don't have a ton of other classes to worry on top of it.

How do you guys get enough credit then for vet schools? UGA wants 8 hours of Ochem. Do you have to take two years then?

its usually a two semester class and two semester lab 🙂

 

[PetPony]

So you get 2 hours for a lab and 2 hours for a lecture? I guess then it's about the same as ours here, only it's already combined.

 

[breenie]

So you get 2 hours for a lab and 2 hours for a lecture? I guess then it's about the same as ours here, only it's already combined.

We had two 3 credit lecture courses, and one 2 credit lab. You took the lab after the first semester, concurrently with the second lecture, or any time after that separately. So, I took 8 credits of ochem total.

That's why I said every school is different and our advice might not be entirely relevant. 😉

 

[heylodeb]

How do you guys get enough credit then for vet schools? UGA wants 8 hours of Ochem. Do you have to take two years then?

Instead of looking at the semester hours look at the time they want the class to take. I only took a 1 semester OChem survey class with a one semester lab. So I could apply to schools that would accept one semester instead of the one year class with a one year lab. When my units didn't match up exactely (+/- 1-2), I e-mailed the schools and explained the course and asked if my 4 units were suffice. They did. (I think for WSU, I actually had to do this for a genetics course not OChem...but same idea)

 

[squirrelsrule]

We had two 3 credit lecture courses, and one 2 credit lab. You took the lab after the first semester, concurrently with the second lecture, or any time after that separately. So, I took 8 credits of ochem total.

That's why I said every school is different and our advice might not be entirely relevant. 😉

It pretty much works out the same then, we just didn't get any credits for lab, it was counted in with lecture. We met 8 hours a week the entire year and got 10 credits total. How long did your lectures meet?

PetPony, when you get to O. Chem go into it with an open mind, you might find that you LOVE it like I did. I'd think long and hard about taking it over the summer though, since that is accelerated and it will be even harder. You might not have other things going on, but do you really want 10 weeks of your life to consist of only O. Chem. I loved O. Chem, but I don't think that sounds like much fun. I'd take more of the general ed. classes like sociology, psychology, lower math classes, English, stuff like that over the summer if I were you.

 

[twelvetigers]

I think that it was more for things like trying to get bachelors in both Molecular Biology & Microbiology and Biology - the only real differences were a handful of core courses and a few electives that only counted for one or the other, but most were the same. Bio and Psych are far enough apart, really...but I wouldn't think that Animal Science and Dairy Science are. And that's assuming the place this person is going even has a rule like that - it turns out OKSU doesn't seem to (twelvetigers can attest).

edit: FWIW, UC Davis has a similar rule for graduate students doing 2 programs, with the exception of some special agreements in certain graduate groups. I took our first year genetics course in 2008 and helped out with it in 2009 during my MS. Because I counted it for credit towards my MS the first time, I had to re-take it this year in vet school.

I needed at least 30 new hours to get a second degree in any area. That wouldn't be possible with some, but it worked with micro and zoology. Every university will be different!

 

[jmo1012]

I needed at least 30 new hours to get a second degree in any area. That wouldn't be possible with some, but it worked with micro and zoology. Every university will be different!

i needed 30 too to get a second degree, but i had a couple of summer classes and a bunch of AP credit on top of my rigorous semesters. i was actually only 6 credits shy of meeting the credit requirement for 3 degrees (but i didnt have a 3rd major)

and i've seen ochem more as a 3 + 1 combo for lecture/lab

 

[PetPony]

I think that's what it is at UGA, jmo.

I asked this earlier.. Do you guys think I should keep it up with the little business I'm starting with my boyfriend or it's better to let it go and focus on other things? It brings in nice extra money for both of us and I really enjoy talking to other people about what they're interested in buying and stuff. I'm usually not good at talking to people I don't know, but I think this really helps.

Also, because I don't want to volunteer/put a lot of time into an organization at the beginning of college/the first year, I want to do a project that I can work on from my dorm room. Making dog toys and blankets out of donated fabrics and shirts and giving them to shelters to help the dogs and make their lives at least a little better.

What do you think about that? I have someone else that also wants to help and I think it'd be a nice thing to do that doesn't take away too much time from studying and stuff..

 

[squirrelsrule]

Starting up a business certainly couldn't hurt your application. It certainly won't take the place of vet and animal experience, but could add a unique quality to your application, so as long as it doesn't take away from you getting in vet hours, I'd go for it. Especially if it helps you deal with people better. I am not much of a people person either and starting up my own non-profit wildlife rescue helped me soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much with dealing with people and communicating effectively. I learned on my own the important things to ask when dealing with people and with a non-profit you have to be friendly no matter how annoying or rude the caller is because in the end all your money comes from donations. So, if you think it will help you out, keep going with it.

Good luck! I wish I had known I wanted to be a vet when I was starting college, you have so long to build a strong app. I am sure you'll do awesome.

 

[PetPony]

The business is about building custom tack trunks, horse jumps and other stuff you could need for your barn. I help out with building now, but once I'm in college and not living with my bf anymore, I will only be doing the people stuff. So it won't be as time consuming anymore. I'm mainly focusing on getting vet experience the next four years, as that's a very important part and I have no hours yet. :/

To me it seems like I have not much time left anymore. There are so many things I want to do before I apply the first time, but I feel like I won't even get close to it. I'm trying to get my prereqs in three years while still moving on well with my major classes. I'm thinking about taking classes two summers, which can really take away time from getting more experienced. And with UGA having a vet school, it's hard to find a place to shadow/work at. :/

 

[jmo1012]

my two cents:

You need to stop worrying so much about something that is at least a few years away and enjoy your life in the here and now. i am happy that you are so motivated and want to work so hard to achieve your dreams, but you havent even started college yet! i hate seeing someone trying to plan so far down the road and not enjoying whats going on in your life right now 🙂

enjoy your family, have fun with your boyfriend, learn to live a whole new life, make new friends, join some clubs and activities, and volunteer with animals for a few hours this semester IF IT WORKS OUT! but otherwise don't stress out about it so much.

having thousands of hours is great and all, but people do it on far less. and they're not any worse off for it. they all come out as great vets.

trust me, schools dont want to see an applicant who is rather mediocre and loaded with other things. at that point maybe you'll make the cut, maybe you won't, but you need to make sure that you're not trying to bolster your application to the detriment of your grades. people can tell you "well my stats weren't stellar and i got in" but sometimes it takes a few years and a majority do have good stats.

i have watched and worked with people who just can't help but do EVERYTHING that crosses their path. they are miserable to work with usually because they are over the top stressed out about everything they have to do and they usually suck at commitment whether its something they promised to do with an organization or with a friendship.

so relax. you're going to be fine. you are your own unique person even if you feel pretty ordinary. its going to be okay! 🙂