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

[WildZoo]

Well, is the insurance an extra ~$825 for the year or nah?

I don't know lol Not my area

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SkiOtter]

I don't know lol Not my area

True, when I was 12, I didn’t know how much the insurance cost per month either.

 

[WildZoo]

True, when I was 12, I didn’t know how much the insurance cost per month either.

Exactly

 

[JaynaAli]

When I was a student the school paid 50% of everyone's vaccine and luckily my insurance picked up the other half. But my year was the last where the school covered anything, I'm pretty sure. They set up a clinic where they took us back like ten at a time, went around the room and asked all the girls when their last period was, then vaccinated us one by one. Then repeat x2. I can not relate to cattle in a chute waiting on their turn for vaccinations, haha.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

When I was a student the school paid 50% of everyone's vaccine and luckily my insurance picked up the other half. But my year was the last where the school covered anything, I'm pretty sure. They set up a clinic where they took us back like ten at a time, went around the room and asked all the girls when their last period was, then vaccinated us one by one. Then repeat x2. I can not relate to cattle in a chute waiting on their turn for vaccinations, haha.

Yeah, Oregon State is paying for 50%. I won't be on their insurance and my insurance doesn't cover it so I have to pay the rest. But definitely beats nothing!

 

[Squeaksmom]

I would have taken better care of myself early on rather than brushing it off as a luxury I didn't have time for. But on the flipside, I've discovered that I'm stronger than I'd ever guessed!

 

[Mattok1]

Hey all, this is my first post but I've been lurking for about 2 months now, learning, thinking, and learning some more and thinking some more. I've used the search function a lot and have had most of my questions answered. I'm humbled to have found this resource and to have the opportunity to learn from so many experienced professionals and students. There are a couple of questions I have that have been sort've addressed in this thread that I'd like to clarify and maybe look at a little closer. For that reason, I apologize for resurrecting a 2 month old post for my first ever post on the boards.
A little background: I'm 31, a husband and father of a 1 year old son. I'm the only "breadwinner" of the home. I am in a field completely unrelated to vet med but have come to the place where I have to change careers. I won't go into every reason I am drawn to being a vet as that would be for another post but suffice it to say I have agricultural and vet med background and am not going into this COMPLETELY blind
My questions are not about whether I should choose this career path or not. (That question is not even close to being answered lol.) They are whether it would be feasible if I did choose it.
A number of posts back (I would quote if I wasn't on my phone) someone made the comment that vet school is not actually M-F 8am-5pm. This is what I was told when I called Okstate (my only option - for full transparency). So how true is that? I would be commuting about an hour and 15 min each way and I have a family and responsibilities at home I would need to make sure I could take care of outside of school.
Secondly, and along the same line, a lot of people have mentioned skipping classes. I, personally, have never been a person who was comfortable skipping class and I assumed that at vet school of all things I would have to be in class. Now, I don't want to skip a bunch of classes but if I was able to comfortably miss one every once in awhile to take care of other things that would be huge.
What are everyone's thoughts? Is the time management thing pretty impossible or is a life outside of vet school (for someone with a family especially) feasible?
Thanks all in advance!

 

[WildZoo]

Hey all, this is my first post but I've been lurking for about 2 months now, learning, thinking, and learning some more and thinking some more. I've used the search function a lot and have had most of my questions answered. I'm humbled to have found this resource and to have the opportunity to learn from so many experienced professionals and students. There are a couple of questions I have that have been sort've addressed in this thread that I'd like to clarify and maybe look at a little closer. For that reason, I apologize for resurrecting a 2 month old post for my first ever post on the boards.
A little background: I'm 31, a husband and father of a 1 year old son. I'm the only "breadwinner" of the home. I am in a field completely unrelated to vet med but have come to the place where I have to change careers. I won't go into every reason I am drawn to being a vet as that would be for another post but suffice it to say I have agricultural and vet med background and am not going into this COMPLETELY blind
My questions are not about whether I should choose this career path or not. (That question is not even close to being answered lol.) They are whether it would be feasible if I did choose it.
A number of posts back (I would quote if I wasn't on my phone) someone made the comment that vet school is not actually M-F 8am-5pm. This is what I was told when I called Okstate (my only option - for full transparency). So how true is that? I would be commuting about an hour and 15 min each way and I have a family and responsibilities at home I would need to make sure I could take care of outside of school.
Secondly, and along the same line, a lot of people have mentioned skipping classes. I, personally, have never been a person who was comfortable skipping class and I assumed that at vet school of all things I would have to be in class. Now, I don't want to skip a bunch of classes but if I was able to comfortably miss one every once in awhile to take care of other things that would be huge.
What are everyone's thoughts? Is the time management thing pretty impossible or is a life outside of vet school (for someone with a family especially) feasible?
Thanks all in advance!

There are lots of people with families who have done vet school successfully. The hardest time I think would be when you're in clinics, because with the exception of schools that require attendance, you can definitely take time to get life stuff done if you need to during the didactic years. I miss classes here every once in a while and do fine. I have friends who regularly don't come to class because sometimes they just learn better in a different environment.

Whether or not it's 8 to 5 is pretty school dependent. For us it really is this year...but first year we had a lot of afternoons off and we had a few second year too.

You also have to think about the time you'll spend studying outside of class too, though. That's the bit that makes it really different from having a normal job in the real world.

 

[Squeaksmom]

vet school is not actually M-F 8am-5pm.

First and second year at my school were basically the schedule you quoted (second year especially on the 5 pm part). Third year we have night checks on surgery patients, so some students have to spend the night at the school at times. It looks like not everyone will have to (there's a sign up sheet with a minimum number of shifts each student has to do, but they're not all nights), but something to keep in mind if your school does something similar. Fourth year... who knows lol

I'm a third year in my 40s with a teenager. I get where you're coming from about family obligations even though I'm long distance from my husband and son for school right now. I was living at home with them when I did my four years of prevet coursework, as well as for part of second year vet school. It's doable, but I won't tell you that it's easy. I will caution you since you say that you're the only breadwinner... have a plan! The way the curriculum is set up, at least at my school, it's nearly impossible to work any significant amount of hours during the school year. Things are just too intense. I don't know how US loans work and if they'll cover your family etc. but something to keep in mind.

 

[DVMDream]

Hey all, this is my first post but I've been lurking for about 2 months now, learning, thinking, and learning some more and thinking some more. I've used the search function a lot and have had most of my questions answered. I'm humbled to have found this resource and to have the opportunity to learn from so many experienced professionals and students. There are a couple of questions I have that have been sort've addressed in this thread that I'd like to clarify and maybe look at a little closer. For that reason, I apologize for resurrecting a 2 month old post for my first ever post on the boards.
A little background: I'm 31, a husband and father of a 1 year old son. I'm the only "breadwinner" of the home. I am in a field completely unrelated to vet med but have come to the place where I have to change careers. I won't go into every reason I am drawn to being a vet as that would be for another post but suffice it to say I have agricultural and vet med background and am not going into this COMPLETELY blind
My questions are not about whether I should choose this career path or not. (That question is not even close to being answered lol.) They are whether it would be feasible if I did choose it.
A number of posts back (I would quote if I wasn't on my phone) someone made the comment that vet school is not actually M-F 8am-5pm. This is what I was told when I called Okstate (my only option - for full transparency). So how true is that? I would be commuting about an hour and 15 min each way and I have a family and responsibilities at home I would need to make sure I could take care of outside of school.
Secondly, and along the same line, a lot of people have mentioned skipping classes. I, personally, have never been a person who was comfortable skipping class and I assumed that at vet school of all things I would have to be in class. Now, I don't want to skip a bunch of classes but if I was able to comfortably miss one every once in awhile to take care of other things that would be huge.
What are everyone's thoughts? Is the time management thing pretty impossible or is a life outside of vet school (for someone with a family especially) feasible?
Thanks all in advance!

Thank you for resurrecting a thread in which you felt this post belonged instead of creating a new thread. That is exactly what you should do.

It is difficult to say that vet school will be x time to y time. It is going to vary depending upon so many factors. For the most part, you can probably make vet school be 8-5 or 8-6, however if you plan to join any groups, clubs, want to attend certain wet labs as part of these clubs, go to guest lectures, etc these may happen later at night in order to give everyone an opportunity to do these things. So there may be times during the first few years that vet school goes well beyond 5 or 6. There may also be days where vet school is over by noon, it is just going to depend on the schedule. During clinics, expect to be there early around 6AM and stay until after 7PM (we were required to do all 7AM and 7PM treatments, this may or may not be different at OkState). You will also have on call duties during fourth year where you will need to be prepared to get up and go in at anytime... midnight, 1AM, 2AM, etc and you have to be able to get there within 20 minutes.

The answer is that anything is feasible, if you put your mind to it and are willing to make some sacrifices. My biggest concern reading this is your expectation to drive an hour and 15 minutes to school every day. That is possible for the first few years but will not be possible fourth year. You are also really not going to want to drive that far daily. That is turning the 8-5 into a leaving at 6-6:30 and arriving home at 6-6:30 and if you stay late for something, possibly not arriving home until 10-10:30 or even later just depending on how long you stay. My advice would be to move closer. You will thank yourself during those first few years and will be required to be about 20 minutes away for clinics anyway so might as well move to make the first few years so much more manageable time-wise.

I don't know how OkState has their courses set up but a big part of why I felt "ok" skipping classes was because the lectures were recorded and I could watch them at home. I will admit there were probably a few classes I never attended or watched, but those are few. So even if you are skipping a class, be ready to figure out an alternative to either watching that lecture or obtaining the information in some way. Skipping class is possible for some classes, but you may find it doesn't work for you or that you don't feel as comfortable skipping as you thought you might.

 

[ResoluteMike]

Hey all, this is my first post but I've been lurking for about 2 months now, learning, thinking, and learning some more and thinking some more. I've used the search function a lot and have had most of my questions answered. I'm humbled to have found this resource and to have the opportunity to learn from so many experienced professionals and students. There are a couple of questions I have that have been sort've addressed in this thread that I'd like to clarify and maybe look at a little closer. For that reason, I apologize for resurrecting a 2 month old post for my first ever post on the boards.
A little background: I'm 31, a husband and father of a 1 year old son. I'm the only "breadwinner" of the home. I am in a field completely unrelated to vet med but have come to the place where I have to change careers. I won't go into every reason I am drawn to being a vet as that would be for another post but suffice it to say I have agricultural and vet med background and am not going into this COMPLETELY blind
My questions are not about whether I should choose this career path or not. (That question is not even close to being answered lol.) They are whether it would be feasible if I did choose it.
A number of posts back (I would quote if I wasn't on my phone) someone made the comment that vet school is not actually M-F 8am-5pm. This is what I was told when I called Okstate (my only option - for full transparency). So how true is that? I would be commuting about an hour and 15 min each way and I have a family and responsibilities at home I would need to make sure I could take care of outside of school.
Secondly, and along the same line, a lot of people have mentioned skipping classes. I, personally, have never been a person who was comfortable skipping class and I assumed that at vet school of all things I would have to be in class. Now, I don't want to skip a bunch of classes but if I was able to comfortably miss one every once in awhile to take care of other things that would be huge.
What are everyone's thoughts? Is the time management thing pretty impossible or is a life outside of vet school (for someone with a family especially) feasible?
Thanks all in advance!

My situation is almost exactly what you describe. The only difference is my wife is covering a little over half of our income.

First year, I put 19,000 miles on the car. My days typically started at 6 am and I was out the door by 6:45 to get to school at 8 am. Most days I was home by 4:30 pm, but not always. I didn't miss many classes, but I know people that did. It was hard. The extra 10 hours of non-productive time matters. The commute also severely restricted my ability to engage with regular study groups. There were several weeks in both first and second semester that I had to spend the night in order to put in time at the Anatomy lab in order to prepare for tests. SAVMA meetings were also usually in the evening, so some days I didn't get home until after 9 pm.

My grades are definitely affected by doing things this way. I don't think this would be possible if I didn't have my wife helping. This also only applies for first and second year. I will be moving to the school for year 3 and 4 and I expect I am going to have even less time for home responsibilities. Can you do it? Probably, but there is a lot more risk and the cost of failure for people in our situation is a lot higher.

 

[Mattok1]

I appreciate all the feedback and insight. Much to think about and talk about with my wife. Thank you all!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Vet_Squared80]

Hey all, this is my first post but I've been lurking for about 2 months now, learning, thinking, and learning some more and thinking some more. I've used the search function a lot and have had most of my questions answered. I'm humbled to have found this resource and to have the opportunity to learn from so many experienced professionals and students. There are a couple of questions I have that have been sort've addressed in this thread that I'd like to clarify and maybe look at a little closer. For that reason, I apologize for resurrecting a 2 month old post for my first ever post on the boards.
A little background: I'm 31, a husband and father of a 1 year old son. I'm the only "breadwinner" of the home. I am in a field completely unrelated to vet med but have come to the place where I have to change careers. I won't go into every reason I am drawn to being a vet as that would be for another post but suffice it to say I have agricultural and vet med background and am not going into this COMPLETELY blind
My questions are not about whether I should choose this career path or not. (That question is not even close to being answered lol.) They are whether it would be feasible if I did choose it.
A number of posts back (I would quote if I wasn't on my phone) someone made the comment that vet school is not actually M-F 8am-5pm. This is what I was told when I called Okstate (my only option - for full transparency). So how true is that? I would be commuting about an hour and 15 min each way and I have a family and responsibilities at home I would need to make sure I could take care of outside of school.
Secondly, and along the same line, a lot of people have mentioned skipping classes. I, personally, have never been a person who was comfortable skipping class and I assumed that at vet school of all things I would have to be in class. Now, I don't want to skip a bunch of classes but if I was able to comfortably miss one every once in awhile to take care of other things that would be huge.
What are everyone's thoughts? Is the time management thing pretty impossible or is a life outside of vet school (for someone with a family especially) feasible?
Thanks all in advance!

I can't speak to your specific state, but I would encourage you to contact the vet med college you're applying to directly and see if they can put you in touch with an upperclassmen that has a situation similar to yours. I know Michigan State was great about putting me in touch with already vet students who were parents before I applied so I could ask questions.
My experience is going to be drastically different because I am a first year at Michigan State and we have a flipped classroom. There is no option to skip class, because we don't have lecture, but I do have most of my classes in the morning, because I'm in the morning section. Also, our clubs almost always meet at the lunchtime hour from noon to 1pm, so everyone can go, which is nice because I don't have to sacrifice family time for vet school stuff. Studying is challenging, but feasible. I have three very active kids and for the most part am the primary caretaker (though I am married with a very supportive husband). When class ends I study until they get out of school then I"m usually transporting kids to lessons and practices, making dinner, normal "life" stuff. Then I hit the books again after they go to bed.
It is totally feasible to do with kids and a family, but it will mean sacrifices for both you and your spouse. This has to be something you're BOTH on board with and very open and up front about from the beginning. We had long discussions with our kids (they are a bit older than yours) about the sacrifices they would have to make so I could follow my dream career path. We didn't go into this until everyone was on board and we discussed at length the positive and negatives of this family choice we were making. We chose to frame it as a "WE" because though I'm doing the heavy lifting of academic work, I can't do this without their full support - it's a team effort.