Vet med the alternative to Human medicine?

[smilin1590]

I needed to post this. Today in class I was talking to a couple girls and the one said she was pre-med and getting her bio degree and the other girl was like "yeah me too" then they asked me what my major was and I said "zoology but aiming for vet school after this" then the other girl who agreed that she was pre-med too then said "yeah I'm not sure yet I might do zoology in case the pre-med thing doesn't work out" ughh this made me so angry. As if you don't get into med school you're a shoe in for vet school? I've talked to a couple people like this who don't seem to understand that it's more than just pre-req's and gpa it's also about experience. Maybe this shouldn't make me angry but it really feels like people demean my hopeful chosen career and pawn it off as the alternative if you can't get into human medicine.

Sorry about the rant

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[luplodw]

Well won't it be funny when they don't get into med school then try to get into vet school and won't get in there either mwahaha

 

[DVMDream]

This happens quite often; no one realizes how hard it is to get into vet school until they actually try it. One of the girls I work with was telling me that one of her classmates (in a vet tech program) was going to apply for vet school after she graduated and went to a community college for 1 semester. I told her to tell her classmate good luck because she probably will not be even close to getting all of the pre-reqs. So, then the girl I work with asked what the pre-reqs for vet school were…it was funny to watch her mouth drop in absolute shock!

 

[smilin1590]

Well won't it be funny when they don't get into med school then try to get into vet school and won't get in there either mwahaha

My thoughts exactly. I feel much better about my evil thoughts now...just kidding LOL!!!!!

and come on, if vet med was that easy to get into we'd all be there already right?

 

[lalzi22]

My thoughts exactly. I feel much better about my evil thoughts now...just kidding LOL!!!!!

and come on, if vet med was that easy to get into we'd all be there already right?

You mean its not easy to get into? I thought working my butt off for 4 years in high school to get into a good college to work my butt off to get good grades and working every summer/winter break to get experience was a breeze.

 

[luplodw]

And if anything...med school is the backup if you don't get into vet school. I've heard of a lot of people doing that. I mean I know some people that got into med school....and to be honest...they weren't all that smart

 

[jmcgintee]

I needed to post this. Today in class I was talking to a couple girls and the one said she was pre-med and getting her bio degree and the other girl was like "yeah me too" then they asked me what my major was and I said "zoology but aiming for vet school after this" then the other girl who agreed that she was pre-med too then said "yeah I'm not sure yet I might do zoology in case the pre-med thing doesn't work out" ughh this made me so angry. As if you don't get into med school you're a shoe in for vet school? I've talked to a couple people like this who don't seem to understand that it's more than just pre-req's and gpa it's also about experience. Maybe this shouldn't make me angry but it really feels like people demean my hopeful chosen career and pawn it off as the alternative if you can't get into human medicine.

Sorry about the rant

that would make me soooooo mad!!!!!!!!!

 

[kayakman28]

And if anything...med school is the backup if you don't get into vet school.

Took the words right out of my mouth!!

If I didn't get in after 3 tries (thank G-d I got in first time 'round), med school was my backup. I think my parents were wishing for that option...

No one ever seems to understand what vet med is all about unless you're in it. My dad still thinks human med is more prestigious...

 

[Horsingaround31]

And if anything...med school is the backup if you don't get into vet school. I've heard of a lot of people doing that.

Two of my family's doctors tried to get into vet school but couldn't. And they're very good and successful doctors -- they would have made great vets! I guess it just works out that way sometimes.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I needed to post this. Today in class I was talking to a couple girls and the one said she was pre-med and getting her bio degree and the other girl was like "yeah me too" then they asked me what my major was and I said "zoology but aiming for vet school after this" then the other girl who agreed that she was pre-med too then said "yeah I'm not sure yet I might do zoology in case the pre-med thing doesn't work out" ughh this made me so angry. As if you don't get into med school you're a shoe in for vet school? I've talked to a couple people like this who don't seem to understand that it's more than just pre-req's and gpa it's also about experience. Maybe this shouldn't make me angry but it really feels like people demean my hopeful chosen career and pawn it off as the alternative if you can't get into human medicine.

Sorry about the rant

haha, i love when people say crazy **** like that. as if getting rejections from med schools in march will give you enough time by the time VMCAS is due to get all the extra pre-reqs in AND get mad amounts of varied experience.

but maybe when she said she might look into zoology if the med school thing doesn't work out, she meant a grad program in zoology? - funny story, when i was interviewing for my research tech position, my current boss goes

"Don't take the position at some other lab, you should work here. Let me tell you why! We take a lot of pride in how we develop our techs, and every single one of them has gotten into a really good med-school. The med schools are so impressed with what are techs do. Our last tech got a full ride to western vet school too!... oh... well actually not every tech. we had one tech who had such a horrific undergrad gpa that he couldn't get into med school. he got into harvard biology phd program though! so yeah, that's your worse case scenario! so work here"

the funniest part of it all was that he wasn't actually offering me the position yet...

 

[marycatherine]

Took the words right out of my mouth!!

If I didn't get in after 3 tries (thank G-d I got in first time 'round), med school was my backup. I think my parents were wishing for that option...

No one ever seems to understand what vet med is all about unless you're in it. My dad still thinks human med is more prestigious...

hahaha my parents keep reminding me "well you'll have all the requirements to apply to med school too, right??" sure mom and dad.

 

[Myotis]

Oh my goodness, things like that bug me too! There's a pre-vet student at my school who drives me nuts. She hasn't gotten ANY experience (she's a junior...on track to graduate next year, so she'll be applying in the fall) AND, she hates all domestic animals except dogs...she wants to be a zoo vet...what bugs me the most about her is she's the curve killer in just about all of her classes.

Another person who acts like vet school is a breeze to get in to is a guy in my chem lab. He's premed and he always gives me crap for being prevet and saying I'm a slacker for going that route instead of premed...

 

[DVMDream]

Oh my goodness, things like that bug me too! There's a pre-vet student at my school who drives me nuts. She hasn't gotten ANY experience (she's a junior...on track to graduate next year, so she'll be applying in the fall) AND, she hates all domestic animals except dogs...she wants to be a zoo vet...what bugs me the most about her is she's the curve killer in just about all of her classes.

That reminds me of a pre-vet girl at my school who wants to be an equine vet but has no experience other than general care of horses. Oh well, I say let them apply, easy way for there to be one less person competing for spots (easy rejection).

 

[snapcall]

And if anything...med school is the backup if you don't get into vet school.

This 100%.

And while we're at it, if one more person asks me if vet school is a 2-year program right after HS I'm going to

 

[No Imagination]

While I will agree with all of you that it is pretty insulting to think that if someone doesn’t get into med school, they can just jump on the vet school band wagon. While I will also concede that the GPA requirements for vet school is pretty equivalent to med school (I am not getting into that debate), don’t put down how hard it is to get into med school.

The biggest issue med students face is the MCAT, and the GRE doesn’t even come close to the MCAT in terms of difficulty and preparation. I know plenty of people, some my students, who have 3.8+ GPA’s and a BS in Biochemistry, with decent MCAT scores and kick ass GRE’s, and have been rejected from med schools. In my opinion, med schools are much more subjective in the applications (with a large emphasis on diversity which can hurt certain individuals) – Vet schools in general don’t stress diversity as much (Western a possible exception) - With a little bit of experience these kids would be damn strong candidates for vet school.

 

[Tco87]

That reminds me of a pre-vet girl at my school who wants to be an equine vet but has no experience other than general care of horses. Oh well, I say let them apply, easy way for there to be one less person competing for spots (easy rejection).

Yeah, I know someone like that. She's applying next year, wants to be a large animal vet, and has lots of vet experiences.... but it's all with small animals. As far as I know, she's planning on staying at the small animal clinic she currently works at.
I don't think she's even mucked stables to get experience with large animals, so I don't know how she thinks that's going to work...

 

[flyhi]

While I will agree with all of you that it is pretty insulting to think that if someone doesn’t get into med school, they can just jump on the vet school band wagon.
The biggest issue med students face is the MCAT, and the GRE doesn’t even come close to the MCAT in terms of difficulty and preparation.

i agree with you wholeheartedly. Med school is not easy to get into either, and the MCAT seems like a bear. Granted, they have more options in terms of schools, but there is also a much larger applicant pool...it's ridiculous. Just for giggles, go on over to the pre-allo forum..it's crazy. Lots of peeps want to go to med school.

There is no need for us to belittle any other profession even though we get bashed quite a bit. It's frustrating to hear some of the uneducated comments, but just take it as that. The education required to become a vet is not universally known, and so we have to endure the misinformed.

I am proud that i am going to vet school and will continue to educate those around me as to the particulars involved in the profession.

 

[luplodw]

No one was belittling or bashing the profession. I agree that medical school is extremely hard to get into. I was merely saying that the requirements to get into vet school are more extreme (GPAs/experience/etc). We not only have to get experience in the veterinary field...but it has to be diverse experiences (large animal, exotics, small animal) with soooo many more hours than what premeds need. Of course there are medical schools that probably are more competitive than most vet schools, and you do have to be smart to get into any medical school. I have multiple friends that are premed and I see what they are having to do. Plus my dad is a doctor so I know that its a wonderful and difficult profession. But in reality, if you don't get into vet school, there aren't many more requirements you need to apply to medical school. Yet, if you are applying to vet school after you get denied from medical school, it will take a really long time to get all the experience hours and prereqs required. I just don't want anyone to think am looking down upon medical students!!

 

[dgm]

Yeah, I know someone like that. She's applying next year, wants to be a large animal vet, and has lots of vet experiences.... but it's all with small animals. As far as I know, she's planning on staying at the small animal clinic she currently works at.
I don't think she's even mucked stables to get experience with large animals, so I don't know how she thinks that's going to work...

This is completely possible. I think I want to be an equine vet (I always say I think that's what I want because I hear a lot of people change their minds about that!), and got into school with only SA vet hours. As long as she's smart enough to check "small animal" and not "equine" whenever they ask her what her area of interest is, it shouldn't be a problem. (And I feel okay about having done just that, because someone in the admissions office told me that's what I needed to do.)

 

[No Imagination]

Granted, they have more options in terms of schools, but there is also a much larger applicant pool...it's ridiculous. Just for giggles, go on over to the pre-allo forum..it's crazy. Lots of peeps want to go to med school.

While I've never seen or done the numbers, a lot of med schools take ONLY In state applicant. You are still probably right, the the national applications/# of seats is still probably lower for vet

Just for giggles, go on over to the pre-allo forum..it's crazy.

Ohh, hell no! Did that last year, and they are meanies

But in reality, if you don't get into vet school, there aren't many more requirements you need to apply to medical school. Yet, if you are applying to vet school after you get denied from medical school, it will take a really long time to get all the experience hours and prereqs required. I just don't want anyone to think am looking down upon medical students!!

Is that really true? Yes, the experience aspect could be a pain, but in reality, one summer working full time as a tech/assistant and you would have enough experience to apply.

In terms of pre-reqs, it seems to me that any competent pre-med student would have all the pre-reqs to apply to most (at least the main ones), with the possible exception of nutrition. Then again, I never took nutrition, they let 'protein chemistry' count as my nutrition class. I have no idea why, but I assume they saw 'protein' and all was good.

 

[smilin1590]

Oh heck no I would never belittle the medical profession. I think it's very hard and competitive, it just can get frustrating when people are like "Oh if I can't get into med school I'll just go to vet school". It just makes me so mad because each field requires different things to qualify and apply and hard work and dedication go into both. I think if you are pre-med and think you're going to be a vet if you don't make it into med school you should be a little more educated about it and a little more considerate of those (myself included) who have been working their ass off to get to vet school. Either way I respect animal doctors and human doctors.

 

[Tco87]

This is completely possible. I think I want to be an equine vet (I always say I think that's what I want because I hear a lot of people change their minds about that!), and got into school with only SA vet hours. As long as she's smart enough to check "small animal" and not "equine" whenever they ask her what her area of interest is, it shouldn't be a problem. (And I feel okay about having done just that, because someone in the admissions office told me that's what I needed to do.)

That's a good point. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that she could just say her interest is in small animals. Oops!

 

[SocialStigma]

Strangely, everyone here knows how hard vet school is and that it's actually way more competitive than med school because there's only one vet school in my province but 5-6 med schools.

Med school is my backup if I don't get into vet after 4 tries..going to be a specialist in infectious diseases (but hopefully it doesn't come to that).

 

[sumstorm]

This is completely possible. I think I want to be an equine vet (I always say I think that's what I want because I hear a lot of people change their minds about that!), and got into school with only SA vet hours. As long as she's smart enough to check "small animal" and not "equine" whenever they ask her what her area of interest is, it shouldn't be a problem. (And I feel okay about having done just that, because someone in the admissions office told me that's what I needed to do.)

Actually, here some instructors like students with 'less' experience in the desired field because they don't have to unlearn habits. Also, it isn't uncommon for paths to change in vet school.

 

[sumstorm]

Is that really true? Yes, the experience aspect could be a pain, but in reality, one summer working full time as a tech/assistant and you would have enough experience to apply.

In terms of pre-reqs, it seems to me that any competent pre-med student would have all the pre-reqs to apply to most (at least the main ones), with the possible exception of nutrition. Then again, I never took nutrition, they let 'protein chemistry' count as my nutrition class. I have no idea why, but I assume they saw 'protein' and all was good.

There are some odd balls around like speech, animal nutrition, etc. as for experience, maybe i depends on the school, but 1 summer of full time experience in a single field wouldn't cut it here. of course one could apply, but that doesn't mean one will be competitive.

 

[Saskia Madding]

At Guelph, the MCATs are now a pre-req for admission, so the difference between getting into vet and med school is that much smaller. Not only that, but as the other Canadian pointed out in this thread, there is only one vet school for each 1/3 of the country (one servicing Eastern Canada, Western Canada, and Central Canada respectively), and one in Quebec for francophones.

Despite this obviously intense competition, people still seem to think vet school is the stupid man's med school.

In terms of experience, Guelph admissions basically told me not to bother applying unless I had experience in a variety of fields, so one summer job won't give you enough to guarantee admission.

 

[NYCVetToBe]

And while we're at it, if one more person asks me if vet school is a 2-year program right after HS I'm going to

Seriously. Also, I was on a date last night and the guy kept explaining to me how he knows people doing bio grad programs who came out debt free. I think he said this about 3 times. Great idea! I should totally look into that, thanks!

 

[aspiringDVM]

Actually, here some instructors like students with 'less' experience in the desired field because they don't have to unlearn habits. Also, it isn't uncommon for paths to change in vet school.

Haha! This gives me hope for NCSU! I'm most interested in equine, but applied with >3000 SA and ~400 equine clinical (plus 1000 in equine rehab). Now if only Penn felt the same way .
Sorry, tangent over!

 

[cowgirla]

Seriously. Also, I was on a date last night and the guy kept explaining to me how he knows people doing bio grad programs who came out debt free. I think he said this about 3 times. Great idea! I should totally look into that, thanks!

Kick that guy to the curb! My last date went pretty much the same way... "Oh that's great, my little sister just started vet school. She's over at XXX Community College."

 

[racccjlm]

"my little sister just started vet school. She's over at XXX Community College."

Awww...doesn't it just give you a warm fuzzy feeling knowing how close he was to his sister? That's real communication there

 

[cowgirla]

Awww...doesn't it just give you a warm fuzzy feeling knowing how close he was to his sister? That's real communication there

Well his sister did want to go to vet school eventually. SHE was very sweet. Was getting some gen eds done to save money.

HE on the other hand, did not last very long.

 

[No Imagination]

LoL - I was dating a girl who kept demeaning vet medicine, said I should do MD, and I was wasting my ability and time trying to get into vet school.

She was a cute blonde, and it was a great relationship that lasted for another 7 months.

Guess guys and girls really do have different priorities!

 

[runner2002]

I needed to post this. Today in class I was talking to a couple girls and the one said she was pre-med and getting her bio degree and the other girl was like "yeah me too" then they asked me what my major was and I said "zoology but aiming for vet school after this" then the other girl who agreed that she was pre-med too then said "yeah I'm not sure yet I might do zoology in case the pre-med thing doesn't work out" ughh this made me so angry. As if you don't get into med school you're a shoe in for vet school? I've talked to a couple people like this who don't seem to understand that it's more than just pre-req's and gpa it's also about experience. Maybe this shouldn't make me angry but it really feels like people demean my hopeful chosen career and pawn it off as the alternative if you can't get into human medicine.

Sorry about the rant

Yeah, nothing you can do about that. There will always be a bias, we're only human.

A lot of people still view veterinarians as a lesser profession compared to medical doctors. I don't know why, but there it is.

 

[annie800]

And if anything...med school is the backup if you don't get into vet school. I've heard of a lot of people doing that. I mean I know some people that got into med school....and to be honest...they weren't all that smart

Hahahaaaa. This. This. This. Seriously This.

 

[annie800]

The only thing that separates pre-med from pre-vet is experience hours and compassion (haha, low blow).

I did not take the MCAT and did not apply to Med Schools. I fell completely out of love with it, but continued taking the pre-reqs in hopes of going into research, education, or finding a stronger passion. The latter found me.

Having said that, the MCAT is a freggin PAIN. If you haven't studied for it, you have no idea. The test is 90% passage based. The GRE is a completely different test, much, much easier to study for. Quite honestly, I am surprised that vet schools don't require the MCAT. I too am completely SICK of people asking if vet school is 2 years. My family also thinks MD is more prestigious. They have no idea that a vet acts as a radiologist, anesthesiologist, oncologist, surgeon, is versed in many small or many large animals, the list goes on. They have no idea that there are specialties in cardiology, dermatology, etc.

Yes, the MCAT is hard, but you would be surprised at how many pre-meds get into US schools with scores in the 23-27 range. A lot. A lot. A lot. That type of score is pretty accessible by most people who have had the pre-reqs, this includes pre-pharm, pre-med, pre-vet, etc.

 

[jpeterman13]

Hahahaaaa. This. This. This. Seriously This.

maybe i'm misreading your tone since we're on the internet (sorry if I am), but there is no need to be obnoxious on this forum. and luplodw cleared his/her opinion later in the thread.

 

[luplodw]

Thank you hah

 

[annie800]

maybe i'm misreading your tone since we're on the internet (sorry if I am), but there is no need to be obnoxious on this forum. and luplodw cleared his/her opinion later in the thread.

I wasn't suggesting/implying anything about all students in med school. My ellaborated statement is above yours. Plenty of bright, wonderful canidates out there land a spot and those people are an asset, but some others happen to be right there with them, sometimes for the wrong reasons. Those people have had much of the same core classes as those who are going toward dental, pharm, vet, and research. The MCAT could basically test of all us on the CORE classes, because we all have to take them. What separates us is our interests. Many act as though what separates us is competancy/ability and I disagree, clearly.

 

[NittanyKitty]

I'm not going to lie, I always considered med school my "backup plan". That's not meant to be a negative statement on the field or profession, but it has always held an interest for me. Unfortunately (in my parents' eyes), vet school was always the number one goal, and I'm more than happy to be pursuing it this fall. I don't think either application process is more "difficult" than the other but different emphasis is placed on different parts of the application. For us, experience and understanding of the field consumes a lot of our time and effort while pre-med students have to sink a lot of effort into studying for the MCAT. I for one definitely don't envy them having to take that exam.

 

[luplodw]

I feel bad for the vet students that had to take the VCAT when it existed

 

[SocialStigma]

OVC requires the MCAT ...

I'm writing it this summer ahhh.

 

[nohika]

I'm not going to lie, I always considered med school my "backup plan". That's not meant to be a negative statement on the field or profession, but it has always held an interest for me. Unfortunately (in my parents' eyes), vet school was always the number one goal, and I'm more than happy to be pursuing it this fall. I don't think either application process is more "difficult" than the other but different emphasis is placed on different parts of the application. For us, experience and understanding of the field consumes a lot of our time and effort while pre-med students have to sink a lot of effort into studying for the MCAT. I for one definitely don't envy them having to take that exam.

To be honest...I don't think I'd really be able to stomach human medicine. My "backup" plan is probably to get married and work as a vet-tech (thusly supporting my income). Course, if the whole marriage-thing doesn't work out, I'll have my nursing license (RN) in a few years and can use that to support myself while I go to school for whatever. I've briefly considered MD, I just don't think that kind of extreme cut-throat-craziness-OCD-ness is really something I'd enjoy. The pre-allo forum is scary. Who knows - maybe things will change.

Also...I think part of the reason people think MD/allo is much harder than vetmed is because the requirements are somewhat different. MD schools look mostly at grades/MCAT and very little (in retrospect) at experience in different fields, etc. Vetmed also looks at grades/GRE, but they also look for hundreds of hours of experience and a complete understanding of this field. Since a lot of pre-vets' grades aren't as "superior" as pre-MD (though I know they are out there), I suppose that might have something to do with judging the rigor? I don't know, it's just a theory.

 

[Minnerbelle]

The pre-allo forum is scary. Who knows - maybe things will change.

I don't forsee that changing anytime soon

 

[nohika]

I don't forsee that changing anytime soon

Me neither! Sometimes I browse there for fun...it's definitely always entertaining. I was more commenting that perhaps I could change my mind if I can't get into vet school and pursue MD/DO. With my GPA, regardless...well, not that likely, though I didn't factor GPA into my choice.

 

[VetBound]

Honestly I think many of the stereotypes on Pre-Vet students comes from those that decide to be Pre-Vet but have no idea what it entails with regard to pre-reqs and experience. Many of these students are content to simply get C's and passing grades in their classes because they think "thats all I need to get into Vet School". Also, the demeanor of a Pre-Med vs. Pre-Vet student is completely different. To many Pre-Med human life is the number one concern and animals are simply animals, they come & they go as pets and they are nice to keep around but thats it.

However, for a Pre-Vet animals are valued as much more than entities we keep for company. They are our companions, our children, and our best friends and we treat them that way. Where we are chasing our passion, Pre-Meds might think we are simply wasting talent.

 

[parietal]

This happens quite often; no one realizes how hard it is to get into vet school until they actually try it. One of the girls I work with was telling me that one of her classmates (in a vet tech program) was going to apply for vet school after she graduated and went to a community college for 1 semester. I told her to tell her classmate good luck because she probably will not be even close to getting all of the pre-reqs. So, then the girl I work with asked what the pre-reqs for vet school were…it was funny to watch her mouth drop in absolute shock!

I had this exact same conversation, but with someone who was finishing a vet tech program. Exact same jaw drop, though.

 

[RunTheWorld]

Okay so this is kind of related, but I was wondering if this happens to anyone else. I'm a really soft spoken person so sometimes when people ask me what I'm doing next year I tell them "I'm going to vet school" and they exclaim, "Wow med school, that's so great!" then I say, "Sorry, veterinary school not medical school" and then they're just like "Oh okay, that's good too" or something belittling like that. It's so frustrating!

 

[Minnerbelle]

Okay so this is kind of related, but I was wondering if this happens to anyone else. I'm a really soft spoken person so sometimes when people ask me what I'm doing next year I tell them "I'm going to vet school" and they exclaim, "Wow med school, that's so great!" then I say, "Sorry, veterinary school not medical school" and then they're just like "Oh okay, that's good too" or something belittling like that. It's so frustrating!

Yep, that's why I always say "veterinary school" since no one gets what I'm saying when I say "vet school." Or I just say "I'm going back to school," and if they want to know, I'll explain further.

 

[rileydog]

Okay so this is kind of related, but I was wondering if this happens to anyone else. I'm a really soft spoken person so sometimes when people ask me what I'm doing next year I tell them "I'm going to vet school" and they exclaim, "Wow med school, that's so great!" then I say, "Sorry, veterinary school not medical school" and then they're just like "Oh okay, that's good too" or something belittling like that. It's so frustrating!

I'm quiet too, so I have gotten that same response. Except it usually ends with, "Oh, vet school. I have this cat (dog, horse, rabbit, etc) and I got him from here, he was sick with this and this and here is his whole life history.....". I sometimes try to say veterinary school or that I am studying veterinary medicine instead so there is less confusion in the first place.

 

[busyvet]

And if anything...med school is the backup if you don't get into vet school. I've heard of a lot of people doing that. I mean I know some people that got into med school....and to be honest...they weren't all that smart

Yeah I agree Med school seems like it would be much easier to get into and so much less complicated. I've ran into a few people who applied for med school in case the vet thing didn't work out.