What do you wish you would have known going into vet school?

[staff_wielder]

would be very surprised if Penn lets you graduate with only one spay completed.

I can’t vouch for Penn, at OKState we have a very active feline TNR program in which students that have completed Junior Surgery (end of third years/ all fourth years) can be the primary surgeon. Non-surgeons do anesthesia, surgery tech, pain control, physical exams, vaccinations, etc. It’s super helpful, and the surgeons I’ve talked to really enjoy getting more practice on high quality, high quantity castrations. So that’s definitely an opportunity if you’re wanting to better yourself, if Penn has something similar

Nope. I learned in my clinical skills labs and in fourth year, and was pretty decent (I worked on the side as a lab animal tech and then as a clin path tech during school, so not much extra time). Surgery might be another matter - I would definitely still have been scared to spay something on my own, as I had only done two, maybe three spays by the end of fourth year (then again I did not track small animal - I am sure those who did got a lot more experience than me in their track labs and fourth year rotations).

Thanks Egg; will have to do some sleuthing. WTF — maybe I can do a two birds in one stone and pick up a few hours being a tech doing things I’m less experienced at....

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[Skimble]

It's totally ok to be stingy with your time off. Yeah, I could have gone to the shelter every other weekend and gotten experience, but I needed "me" time. I love vet med, but it doesn't have to take over every moment of my life. I spend so much time in class and studying, that when I have some time where I don't need to do either of those things, I'm probably not going to use it to do anything vet med related. It's ok to spend a few hours on the weekend going to an orchid show vs studying.

 

[Lucy410]

Many people say you are only as old as you feel, which is right but upon entering vet school, I will be quite a bit older than most of the students. I am 38 now. Does anyone have any advice for older students and specific challenges you have faced?

I'll be turning 30 this year and I'm a first year vet student. Most of my classmates are in their early 20's (in fact, one *just* turned 21 last weekend) whereas I have a husband, a young child, and a mortgage, so I feel like I'm at a very different life stage than they are. (Note: a fair amount of these differences are due to me being a parent and a commuter student, so YMMV.)

There are good things and not-so-good things about it, in my experience.

On the minus side, I don't have as much time to get involved in extracurriculars or social activities because I have family commitments and I live farther from campus. I also don't share my classmates' enthusiasm for activities like the "Onesie Pub Crawl" and beer pong house parties. (But I don't have any problem with them doing it!) There are days when I feel kind of sad about not being able to experience vet school as an early-20's student because it seems like a lot more fun, and they're all much more bonded as a group. Additionally, I do worry about missing out on learning clinical skills in wetlabs, on-call shadowing shifts, and volunteer clinics, but I generally can't just take a whole Saturday to go do that stuff.

On the plus side, having a home life has been really grounding. Vet school is certainly important, but it's not my #1 priority and I think that's actually healthy. It can be all-consuming if it's the only big thing you have going on in your life. Because I don't have as much free time to study, I've had to learn to be really efficient with my time - I can't sit in lecture and surf the internet, or study in groups where we spend more time chatting than getting through the material. I've found study methods that work for me and I've been pleased with my grades. I also think that having worked outside vet med for a few years has given me some good perspective and some solid client communication skills. Finally - and this was a big one for me - I'm not having to take out loans for vet school due to me being in-state, getting a scholarship, and my husband's salary being able to cover the remainder. Almost everyone I know who is younger than me is having to take out loans for 100% of their tuition and living expenses.

Regarding the social stuff - I've found a great circle of friends who range in age from 21 to 25, and we get along well despite the gap. It's not really an issue and they're respectful of the fact that I have family commitments they don't share. I was lucky to find them; I've found that there are some other older students who haven't found their "group" yet. Unfortunately vet school can be cliquey, but I think that's a result of everyone spending pretty much all their time together. I haven't encountered anyone being actively mean, and almost everybody is pleasant and professional.

One last thing - even if it's been a while since your last undergraduate science course it's probably not a huge deal. There are people in our class with significantly more biology and animal science coursework than I ever had, and while it may help them out initially, the amount of material is so overwhelming that everybody's pretty much on a level playing field come final exams.

Good luck to you!

 

[JustPaws]

For all of those who were past vet assistants here, what do you wish you had learned at work before starting vet school? I'm trying to make some goals (such as how to place catheters) while working as a full-time vet assistant before I start school in the fall.

I'm hoping to get in some radiology/BW interpretation and discuss drug choices, case scenarios with the docs. That being said I'm proficient in caths, phlebotomy, so my goals are more about the stuff I didn't do as a tech (I'm unlicensed).

 

[bluechis]

I'll be turning 30 this year and I'm a first year vet student. Most of my classmates are in their early 20's (in fact, one *just* turned 21 last weekend) whereas I have a husband, a young child, and a mortgage, so I feel like I'm at a very different life stage than they are. (Note: a fair amount of these differences are due to me being a parent and a commuter student, so YMMV.)...
Good luck to you!

Thank you for all of this. I'm giong to a UK school at 32 (with many classmates just entering their 20s ). I love hearing survive and thrive stories from other students in their 30s.

 

[Caiter92]

I'm hoping to get in some radiology/BW interpretation and discuss drug choices, case scenarios with the docs.

I wouldn’t worry about not having knowledge of these things before school You’re going to have classes specifically over these things, and most people will have pretty much zero knowledge of them.

 

[JustPaws]

I wouldn’t worry about not having knowledge of these things before school You’re going to have classes specifically over these things, and most people will have pretty much zero knowledge of them.

Not worried, just these are the things I am paying more attention to at work now that I know I'm going!

 

[battie]

Don't feel the need to apologize how you do you. Several people, including some who I hang out with, give me grief because I only go to mandatory classes. They say I'm wasting my money by not going or that I can't be getting as much out of it. Tell that to the 6-7% bump in my grades.

Vet school is hard, so work smarter, not harder. If you do your best by going to class and hand writing notes like my vet med bestie, do it. If you're at your best sleeping in and staying up late, do it. You do you.

 

[Trilt]

When you guys say you both ended up fine/took advantage of opportunities etc — does that mean during the first two years you guys spent extra time shadowing in your respective small animal teaching hospitals or what not? As in shadowed vets and vets along the way asked you to step in and do x, y, z? For example, at Penn, apparently you do one spay surgery as part of the curriculum after working with a shelter dog for several months, so these additional surgeries are..... because you shadowed elsewhere in the hospital? Feeling a little behind the curve....

Starting year one I spent a sunday morning a month with a local vet clinic that does spay/neuter events for a well known rescue in the area. Eventually started spending time doing wellness exams and treatments for the shelter every couple weeks, too, and my third year I had most Friday mornings off so I hung out at that GP clinic and would do (with supervision obviously) the shelter cases that came in.

School has a surgery van that goes to local rescues and feral colonies and I signed up for all of those I could, too. Then a couple shelter/high volume surgery blocks in my clinical year...

I actually didn't enter the small animal hospital until right before clinics... but did skip a good bit of class to hang out with the exotics service during 2/3 years.

lunno. None of this felt like a huge obligation or anything. It's fun. (Hell, I still do a monthly feral cat clinic as a vet). But the experiences and confidence slowly add up over time.

And don't wait for people to offer for you to do things... obviously be nice, let people get to know you and read the room a bit, but ASK ASK ASK. The worst thing they can do is say no.

Also I'm pretty sure penn works with a local shelter or two and you can get significant spay/neuter experience, I remember @orca2011 and I comparing notes... is that still a thing?

 

[Skimble]

Starting year one I spent a sunday morning a month with a local vet clinic that does spay/neuter events for a well known rescue in the area. Eventually started spending time doing wellness exams and treatments for the shelter every couple weeks, too, and my third year I had most Friday mornings off so I hung out at that GP clinic and would do (with supervision obviously) the shelter cases that came in.

School has a surgery van that goes to local rescues and feral colonies and I signed up for all of those I could, too. Then a couple shelter/high volume surgery blocks in my clinical year...

I actually didn't enter the small animal hospital until right before clinics... but did skip a good bit of class to hang out with the exotics service during 2/3 years.

lunno. None of this felt like a huge obligation or anything. It's fun. (Hell, I still do a monthly feral cat clinic as a vet). But the experiences and confidence slowly add up over time.

And don't wait for people to offer for you to do things... obviously be nice, let people get to know you and read the room a bit, but ASK ASK ASK. The worst thing they can do is say no.

Also I'm pretty sure penn works with a local shelter or two and you can get significant spay/neuter experience, I remember @orca2011 and I comparing notes... is that still a thing?

Yes, Penn does work with two shelters now, but they changed the program a bit and it’s harder to get hours there now.

 

[orca2011]

Also I'm pretty sure penn works with a local shelter or two and you can get significant spay/neuter experience, I remember @orca2011 and I comparing notes... is that still a thing?

Still a thing, but as Skimble said, it's a bit different now (it sounds like it's structured almost like a course in a sense now). However, I still think it's probably worth doing. Additionally, if you can set up externships in 3rd/4th year at shelters and clinics to get that experience if you're worried. I ended up only doing 2 shelter med externships because I was super active in the Shelter Med Club and felt pretty good with my spays/neuters (super rusty now) but I had classmates that did things like RAVs, other school "sponsored" trips (thailand, galapagos, haiti, etc) and then externships at the Humane Alliance, etc.

In theory, you should graduate with more than one spay (3rd year dog spay +/- feline spay via small animal block if you take it + spays/neuters through Community Practice rotation) but I still think it's worth seeking out other opportunities.

 

[staff_wielder]

Starting year one I spent a sunday morning a month with a local vet clinic that does spay/neuter events for a well known rescue in the area. Eventually started spending time doing wellness exams and treatments for the shelter every couple weeks, too, and my third year I had most Friday mornings off so I hung out at that GP clinic and would do (with supervision obviously) the shelter cases that came in.

School has a surgery van that goes to local rescues and feral colonies and I signed up for all of those I could, too. Then a couple shelter/high volume surgery blocks in my clinical year...

I actually didn't enter the small animal hospital until right before clinics... but did skip a good bit of class to hang out with the exotics service during 2/3 years.

lunno. None of this felt like a huge obligation or anything. It's fun. (Hell, I still do a monthly feral cat clinic as a vet). But the experiences and confidence slowly add up over time.

And don't wait for people to offer for you to do things... obviously be nice, let people get to know you and read the room a bit, but ASK ASK ASK. The worst thing they can do is say no.

Also I'm pretty sure penn works with a local shelter or two and you can get significant spay/neuter experience, I remember @orca2011 and I comparing notes... is that still a thing?

Thanks Trilt! Many others have also recommended asking so that is definitely something I will be doing.

Still a thing, but as Skimble said, it's a bit different now (it sounds like it's structured almost like a course in a sense now). However, I still think it's probably worth doing. Additionally, if you can set up externships in 3rd/4th year at shelters and clinics to get that experience if you're worried. I ended up only doing 2 shelter med externships because I was super active in the Shelter Med Club and felt pretty good with my spays/neuters (super rusty now) but I had classmates that did things like RAVs, other school "sponsored" trips (thailand, galapagos, haiti, etc) and then externships at the Humane Alliance, etc.

In theory, you should graduate with more than one spay (3rd year dog spay +/- feline spay via small animal block if you take it + spays/neuters through Community Practice rotation) but I still think it's worth seeking out other opportunities.

Ok, so I can get those experiences during clinics, but did you notice any difference in competency or confidence between those students who were techs before vet school (i.e. catheters, restraint, blood draws etc etc etc I honestly don’t know what else) vs others who don’t even know how to run a snap test (like moi)?

Not sure why I feel like I have to play “catch up” to my other classmates who, many of them it seems, will have had some sort of tech or animal clinic type work experiences... maybe it’s age related and I feel like all the under 25’s already know how to blood draw or what not, and I don’t want to be “that guy” during clinics who has to stick a dog 5 times to draw blood...

But, obviously, will do the “ask” method and spend extra curricular time figuring out what I need to do/where I need to be to get the skills I need.

 

[ChoopLoops]

I don’t want to be “that guy” during clinics who has to stick a dog 5 times to draw blood..

Pssst....even my doctors sometimes have to stick a dog 5 times to draw blood

 

[Trilt]

Thanks Trilt! Many others have also recommended asking so that is definitely something I will be doing.



Ok, so I can get those experiences during clinics, but did you notice any difference in competency or confidence between those students who were techs before vet school (i.e. catheters, restraint, blood draws etc etc etc I honestly don’t know what else) vs others who don’t even know how to run a snap test (like moi)?

Not sure why I feel like I have to play “catch up” to my other classmates who, many of them it seems, will have had some sort of tech or animal clinic type work experiences... maybe it’s age related and I feel like all the under 25’s already know how to blood draw or what not, and I don’t want to be “that guy” during clinics who has to stick a dog 5 times to draw blood...

But, obviously, will do the “ask” method and spend extra curricular time figuring out what I need to do/where I need to be to get the skills I need.

I definitely looked up how to use a snap test the night before we had to. And I also definitely have to poke dogs several times even now sometimes, nevermind when I was a student.

You'll quickly figure out your most experienced classmates and they'll help you. And then it's just a matter of doing these things over and over again.

Seriously, it's not a big deal. And remember that your techs should be better at caths and blood draws than you, anyway... they do them all day every day. One of ours has literally been a tech since I was a child. She could do these things blind with a broken arm better than me.

Just graduate with some modicum of skill and you'll be fine, promise. There are much better things to stress about in life.

 

[JustPaws]

You'll quickly figure out your most experienced classmates and they'll help you.

Seriously, it's not a big deal. And remember that your techs should be better at caths and blood draws than you, anyway... they do them all day every day. One of ours has literally been a tech since I was a child. She could do these things blind with a broken arm better than me.

This and This!

 

[staff_wielder]

Pssst....even my doctors sometimes have to stick a dog 5 times to draw blood

Yeah, I’ve noticed that good techs are like gold at a clinic! Also, just want to boop that little nose every time I see your avatar

I definitely looked up how to use a snap test the night before we had to. And I also definitely have to poke dogs several times even now sometimes, nevermind when I was a student.

You'll quickly figure out your most experienced classmates and they'll help you. And then it's just a matter of doing these things over and over again.

Seriously, it's not a big deal. And remember that your techs should be better at caths and blood draws than you, anyway... they do them all day every day. One of ours has literally been a tech since I was a child. She could do these things blind with a broken arm better than me.

Just graduate with some modicum of skill and you'll be fine, promise. There are much better things to stress about in life.

Thank you for the reassurance You’re right about better things to stress about — on vacay and worried about how I’m going to draw blood I don’t know you but I owe you a beer for helping me feel better — thanks! In the meantime, I can now crack open a Kalik and head out to the beach

This and This!

Dude! Michigan is far away from me, otherwise you know I would pick up a few skills from you! (Most likely Penn for me — Colorado said they, unfortunately, don’t give out offer letter scholarships like Penn/won’t be able to match). I’m going to be a PennWe!

 

[JustPaws]

Yeah, I’ve noticed that good techs are like gold at a clinic! Also, just want to boop that little nose every time I see your avatar



Thank you for the reassurance You’re right about better things to stress about — on vacay and worried about how I’m going to draw blood I don’t know you but I owe you a beer for helping me feel better — thanks! In the meantime, I can now crack open a Kalik and head out to the beach



Dude! Michigan is far away from me, otherwise you know I would pick up a few skills from you! (Most likely Penn for me — Colorado said they, unfortunately, don’t give out offer letter scholarships like Penn/won’t be able to match). I’m going to be a PennWe!

Feel free to pm me if you have questions! Now go enjoy the beach!

 

[staff_wielder]

Feel free to pm me if you have questions! Now go enjoy the beach!

Yes ma’am!

 

[staff_wielder]

Also! Mama hen in the yard running around with her baby chicks chirping for food is the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while! Threw them a chunk of coconut bread (it’s all I had; apologies to the chicken experts on this forum), and she was too cute — pecked it to little bits for the babies to gobble up!

 

[SkiOtter]

Yes ma’am!

Also! Mama hen in the yard running around with her baby chicks chirping for food is the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while! Threw them a chunk of coconut bread (it’s all I had; apologies to the chicken experts on this forum), and she was too cute — pecked it to little bits for the babies to gobble up!

View attachment 230548

IM JEALOUS BECAUSE DIVING.
But also that view is

 

[ChoopLoops]

Also, just want to boop that little nose every time I see your avatar

That isn't even a very cute picture of him (I like it because its goofy) but his nose is very boop-able...

Yes ma’am!

Also, where ARE you because maaaaaan

 

[staff_wielder]

That isn't even a very cute picture of him (I like it because its goofy) but his nose is very boop-able...

Also, where ARE you because maaaaaan

He’s got those soft fuzzy chin hairs! Adorable!

I’m in the Bahamas — tiny little island called Green Turtle Cay — I come once a year to do some diving at Brendal’s dive shop — couple days of diving with grouper and shark and then an island picnic day feeding the rays and turtles. It’s nice and quiet and I like to stay at this house that has it’s own private little cove (so I can run around naked, let’s be honest) and I drink cold beer and make beach fires and eat conch (Ski’s favorite and next secret Santa present ) and fresh fish or lobster on the grill every night.... damn, I will miss having an income next year, hahaha!

 

[SkiOtter]

conch (Ski’s favorite and next secret Santa present )

Oh god no
Seafood is gross

 

[strider144]

Oh god no
Seafood is gross

Yeah, your profile pic says otherwise

 

[SkiOtter]

Yeah, your profile pic says otherwise

I have to keep up appearances for photos. I spit the fish out right after my friend got the shot

 

[cdo96]

Yeah, your profile pic says otherwise

I have to keep up appearances for photos. I spit the fish out right after my friend got the shot

Yeah, I believe Ski. She has to keep up appearances because otters typically aren’t seen eating chicken tenders (not nuggets) and fries or potatoes or grilled cheeses. They have to be sneaky about that!

Also I’m very allergic to seafood and shellfish so none for meeee!

 

[JustPaws]

Yeah, I believe Ski. She has to keep up appearances because otters typically aren’t seen eating chicken tenders (not nuggets) and fries or potatoes or grilled cheeses. They have to be sneaky about that!

Also I’m very allergic to seafood and shellfish so none for meeee!

Or three types of Alfredo sauce

 

[SkiOtter]

Or three types of Alfredo sauce

Lies it was Alfredo and 5 cheese marinara

 

[SkiOtter]

Yeah, I believe Ski. She has to keep up appearances because otters typically aren’t seen eating chicken tenders (not nuggets) and fries or potatoes or grilled cheeses. They have to be sneaky about that!

Also I’m very allergic to seafood and shellfish so none for meeee!

The only nuggets I’ll eat come from Disney and that’s because they’re actually tiny chicken tenders

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Pssst....even my doctors sometimes have to stick a dog 5 times to draw blood

No, no, no.......three strikes and you're out, then you pass the syringe to someone else! LOL. We all have bad blood days where drawing blood is a challenge, regardless of whether you're a student, vet, or tech. And, in all honesty, I think the person doing restraint has as much, if not more, to do with the success of a blood draw than the actual person drawing the blood.

 

[SkiOtter]

No, no, no.......three strikes and you're out, then you pass the syringe to someone else! LOL. We all have bad blood days where drawing blood is a challenge, regardless of whether you're a student, vet, or tech. And, in all honesty, I think the person doing restraint has as much, if not more, to do with the success of a blood draw than the actual person drawing the blood.

What if a tourniquet is used to hold off the vein instead of a person

But also I have worked with a brand new vet once who couldn’t do a blood draw to save her life and one of the other assistants had to walk her through it and when she wasn’t walked through it she would go perpendicular to the vein or completely on the other side of the leg for a medial saph on a cat, it was stressful

 

[ChoopLoops]

No, no, no.......three strikes and you're out, then you pass the syringe to someone else!

Hah, yeah I have one doctor who believes in that, and another who is stubborn as F and will poke poke poke.

 

[JustPaws]

Hah, yeah I have one doctor who believes in that, and another who is stubborn as F and will poke poke poke.

Uggh. Class of '22: Don't be that doctor!

 

[KCgophervet]

Ok, so I can get those experiences during clinics, but did you notice any difference in competency or confidence between those students who were techs before vet school (i.e. catheters, restraint, blood draws etc etc etc I honestly don’t know what else) vs others who don’t even know how to run a snap test (like moi)?

Not sure why I feel like I have to play “catch up” to my other classmates who, many of them it seems, will have had some sort of tech or animal clinic type work experiences... maybe it’s age related and I feel like all the under 25’s already know how to blood draw or what not, and I don’t want to be “that guy” during clinics who has to stick a dog 5 times to draw blood...

But, obviously, will do the “ask” method and spend extra curricular time figuring out what I need to do/where I need to be to get the skills I need.

Just wanted to say, we probably had similar backgrounds coming into vet school. Thousands of hours of working with mice, had never drawn blood on anything else before vet school. I survived, and I didn't have any trouble learning how to draw blood and place catheters in vet school. Sure those who were techs first were quicker and had less "failed attempts" but Didn't go to vet school to learn to draw blood in a cat (though I can now). And I bet very few of the classmates who were techs first could give an IV tail vein injection to a mouse whereas I could. Everyone brings their own skills to the table and you'll learn what you need to in school

 

[staff_wielder]

Just wanted to say, we probably had similar backgrounds coming into vet school. Thousands of hours of working with mice, had never drawn blood on anything else before vet school. I survived, and I didn't have any trouble learning how to draw blood and place catheters in vet school. Sure those who were techs first were quicker and had less "failed attempts" but Didn't go to vet school to learn to draw blood in a cat (though I can now). And I bet very few of the classmates who were techs first could give an IV tail vein injection to a mouse whereas I could. Everyone brings their own skills to the table and you'll learn what you need to in school

Ah, exactly! Ok, feeling less and more Thanks for chiming in on this; much appreciated

 

[JustPaws]

And I bet very few of the classmates who were techs first could give an IV tail vein injection to a mouse

Welp that is correct! Lol

 

[that redhead]

For all of those who were past vet assistants here, what do you wish you had learned at work before starting vet school? I'm trying to make some goals (such as how to place catheters) while working as a full-time vet assistant before I start school in the fall.

WTF is right that things will be taught and you will get by...but I was really glad I had some technical experience under my belt beforehand. Learning to place IV catheters will be invaluable for your anesthesia rotation. Being comfortable getting a TPR by yourself (safely, of course) so you don't always have to bug a tech or classmate to hold for you. Feeling comfortable giving injections - SQ/IM/IV. Feeling comfortable medicating animals orally (I'm looking at you, cats needing pills). And yet, EVERYONE has those days where you can't hit the vein to save your life, no matter how large and obvious it may be. (Never ever, ever ever, EVER remark aloud on how big and prominent a vein is before the blood has been collected or the catheter has been placed.)

On the flip side, I did ZERO extra surgery opportunities at shelters and the like because I was going to be a lab animal vet that wasn't going to be spaying or neutering anything. (I know, I know...) So when I ended up in GP it was tough to feel like I was "behind" everyone who had these super-fast surgery times. But I'm comfortable doing them now, no sweat (except the 120lb St. Bernard. There was a lot of sweat involved, and not just because the suspensories were basically elevator cables!)

 

[CalliopeDVM]

no sweat (except the 120lb St. Bernard. There was a lot of sweat involved, and not just because the suspensories were basically elevator cables!)

Hey, anyone who doesn't sweat during a big dog spay isn't doing it right!

 

[Caia]

Go in with an open mind, no matter how convinced you are that only one field is for you. It could save you from a crisis when you realize you don't enjoy it as much as you thought you would (despite pre-vet hours, undergrad degrees, etc.) and it's ok to change your mind!

 

[deleted676737]

Knowing what I know now, I wish that I hadn't gone to vet school at all.

Though I guess that's not really helpful, so here's a few other things I wish I had kept in mind:

- You don't have to like vet school. I feel like there is this weird warped culture of forced happiness, especially during first year, because we work so hard and spend so much time and money simply to be accepted. But the fact of the matter is that vet school really sucks a lot of the time, and for every cool wetlab or awesome clinical experience, you have countless more hours of being drowned in material and studying and it becomes very tedious after the novelty of it wears off. While I am sure that there are always the few people in every class who do enjoy and thrive in vet school, the overwhelming majority are probably struggling to stay afloat and not go insane. Unfortunately it's often the few exceptions who are the most vocal, and it discourages the rest of us from expressing our feelings about school honestly. Or, at least, that was my experience. Vet school is hard. It's demanding, it will take over your entire life if you let it, and it's okay to not like that. It's important to remember that excelling in and enjoying vet school (especially the didactic curriculum) does not necessarily correlate with excelling in and enjoying practice. They are nowhere near the same thing.

- I really wish that I hadn't overextended myself while I was still in vet school, and I think that may have been part of the reason that I had such a difficult time; while in vet school, I worked anywhere from 2-3 jobs, did research, and was also on the executive committee for 4 or 5 clubs. While I enjoyed those experiences and I don't regret them, especially the jobs because I needed the money (I went to a school with a low cost of living estimate, and the amount they offered wasn't enough for me), they did take away a lot of valuable time that I could have used to study or get additional tutoring sessions. It was pretty common for me to not get home from school until 10 PM, and after 8-10 hours of class plus wetlabs plus work... who wants to actually sit down to study after all of that? As a result, a lot of my catching up on lectures and labs was done on weekends. In retrospect, I think that this was a mistake and if I could do it over again, I'd only have joined executive committee of 1 or 2 clubs/organizations that I was really interested in and worked maybe 1 job. It's good to get involved with extracurriculars and do some things out of the classroom, but there is such a thing as taking it too far and having too much on your schedule. If I were in undergrad and I did this, I'd probably have been fine, but there is just such a massive volume of material in vet school that it was practically impossible for me to always be caught up. Join clubs, get involved, enjoy vet med beyond the classroom, work a small part-time job if you feel like you have to, but don't do what I did and burden yourself with so much that your grades suffer.

- Jumping onto Caia's post above... I want to reiterate her point about keeping an open mind. I was only in vet school for 1.5 years but I changed my mind about what I wanted to do more times than I can even count as I gained new experiences and knowledge. Some people come into vet school knowing exactly what they want and they end up doing exactly that, but I think that most people end up switching paths at some point. For example, I knew at least a handful of mixed or large animal oriented students in my class who switched to wanting to do small animal medicine for economic reasons. I knew someone who came in wanting to do small animal who discovered that her real interest was poultry medicine. I knew someone who was all about zoo med who switched because she recognized that her GPA was simply not going to be competitive enough to land an internship and residency. You may decide that you hate the profession entirely and either leave vet school or graduate but then seek a career in an unrelated field. It happens. It isn't a reflection on your worth or passion as a person and it doesn't make you a failure. Dreams don't ever really die; they simply change and evolve as we do. It took me a little while to come to terms with that.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

You don't have to like vet school. I feel like there is this weird warped culture of forced happiness, especially during first year, because we work so hard and spend so much time and money simply to be accepted.

I think it's also because for some people, going to vet school was like a dream come true. Going to school was the successful fulfillment of their plans, whereas for other students, getting into vet school wasn't their dream - being a vet was their dream/wish/hope/plan and vet school was what you had to do to get there.

 

[buzzinghoodie]

Did you study in the US? And if you did, what school did you go to if you don't mind me asking. I will be going into college soon and I am looking to become a vet at UPenn but comments like these about the financial burden scare the crap out of me. I think I'll even be able to handle putting animals down ok but idk how I'm gonna deal with all of the debt. If you don't mind answering these kinds of questions, how are you doing financially now? I'm just really scared

 

[SkiOtter]

Did you study in the US? And if you did, what school did you go to if you don't mind me asking. I will be going into college soon and I am looking to become a vet at UPenn but comments like these about the financial burden scare the crap out of me. I think I'll even be able to handle putting animals down ok but idk how I'm gonna deal with all of the debt. If you don't mind answering these kinds of questions, how are you doing financially now? I'm just really scared

I would definitely explore some other options in addition to vetmed since you’re just starting college soon. The debt is scary and only you can decide if it’s worth it to you and if you can live with that level of debt chained to you. If while exploring options, you find a different path that you enjoy more, go for it. If you can’t live without vetmed and nothing makes you as happy as vetmed (after THOROUGHLY researching vetmed and shadowing at clinics), then do vet school.

If you haven’t shadowed at a vets office yet, I’d highly recommend doing that sooner than later.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

I am not in the US; I am Canadian and went to a (heavily subsidized) Canadian vet school. I would not have gone to vet school if it was going to cost me $200,000 -- I'd be doing something else right now.

 

[DVMDream]

I still agree with my original post in this thread.

 

[Vombatidae]

Did you study in the US? And if you did, what school did you go to if you don't mind me asking. I will be going into college soon and I am looking to become a vet at UPenn but comments like these about the financial burden scare the crap out of me. I think I'll even be able to handle putting animals down ok but idk how I'm gonna deal with all of the debt. If you don't mind answering these kinds of questions, how are you doing financially now? I'm just really scared

I was highly concerned at 21 for that exact reason. That, paired with the fact that I didn't feel like I had grown enough personally. It was absurd for me to consider that debt and going into a career that I felt that I would be financially "stuck" in at such a young age when I didn't have any worldly experience (particularly having a poor family). I decided to become a teacher and try something I would still enjoy and revisit the idea. Every year I taught I thoroughly loved, however, there was always something missing. After 5 years, I decided that vet med was still what I wanted to do but now I had a better grasp of what the financial burden meant. I also am absolutely and completely more confident in myself as a person due to my experiences outside of being a student, particularly being a teacher and responsible for 120 teenage boys each year. Going into school this year I feel older, yes, but I have no regrets whatsoever. The memories and relationships I have established are what will get me through vet school to the actual goal. There is nothing wrong with exploring what you like and don't like before committing to vet med. For me, the pressure always felt like "Go. Apply now. Do it now before it's too late. You'll get behind!" Instead, I have felt that taking a different career first has proven to me that I've been right where I am confident that I will be successful. Best of luck.

Sent from my SM-G920T using SDN mobile

 

[JCT_Future Vet]

- Vet school is shockingly similar to high school in ways. You'll have lockers, designated times for lunch, formation of cliques, and you might even get scolded like a 1st grader every once and a while. But with this, I have found that, at for me and my experience, vet school may be like high school but we are also way closer and more as a family than a high school class.

- Mental health is more important that grades. I can not say this enough. Staying up pulling all-nighters to get that A is simply not worth it, especially if your pursuit of good grades throws you into a depression. You might even find that if you allow yourself a night or two of "you" time, your grades might even get better. Focus on your mental health, and your grades will follow.

- A C is not a bad grade. I really hate how they burned it into our skulls that a C is the end of the world. That is not true. It is still passing, and it will still allow you to be just as fine as a veterinarian as anyone else. They would not let you graduate if a C wasn't good enough.

- Imposter syndrome is real, and it is easy to let it overwhelm you. But that little voice in your head is lying to you. You ARE good enough, and you ARE smart enough. Don't let it convince you otherwise.

-It's okay to hate parts of vet school. I went into vet school all "this is what I want to do for the rest of my life and therefore I'm going to love it!" and got badly burned. And I was then feeling guilty for hating it. But. Vet school is simply not like being a veterinarian. It simply is the stinky bus ride on the road to destination veterinarian. So it's okay to hate the middle man sometimes.

This is the best advice I've ever received. It meant so much to me that I even printed it out and laminated it!

 

[Doktor Timo]

It's okay to skip class sometimes. Or most of the time.

 

[flameshock]

It's okay to skip class sometimes. Or most of the time.

To add to this, anyone who tells you that the bes/only way to learn is with your butt in a seat during lecture is full of it.

 

[pawtasticbananas]

1. The problems I had with mental health before vet school were exemplified by the big change and intense stress and workload. Make sure you incorporate healthy habits early.
2. I wish I put my rent on autopay. For some reason or another I didn't trust it and chose to pay every month. That worked until I forgot and had to pay a $100 fee. So don't be like me lol
3. Put major dates on every calendar. On the wall, in your phone, on your laptop and on your ipad. Things don't feel like they can sneak up on you that way. Include peoples birthdays and things you can look forward to, like you favorite show or something
4. For the love of god, don't get in the habit of comparing yourself to others. Its a deep dark scary hole that is the death of happiness. Sometimes I wish I kept one social media site free of vet school people. I ended up unfollowing all vet school people are on facebook and was left with cute puppy videos and family updates and it made me much happier.
5. Use a screen protector for all devices if you are klutz
6. Utilize the school counselor. Even if you feel 100% fine!
7. Remember you are awesome and you can do anything you want in this world.