When did you decide Vet Med was for you??

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

kd87

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2008
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
I'm new to this part of SDN.. I normally look around in the pre-dent section. For a while I was dead set on dentistry, but now that I'm entering my junior year of undergrad, I'm kind of singing a different tune.. I'm thinking vet med just might be for me, but I'm not 100% sure yet.

Was just curious if you guys could share some insight as to when and how you finally decided vet med was for you??

:)

Members don't see this ad.
 
Vet med has basically been at the top of my list for as long as I remember. I've always been obsessed with animals, then when I got a bit older, I was really interested in biology and medicine. Mixing it all together into vet med really seemed to make sence. I think my interest sparked from liking animals, and just developed with a passion for science. The more I research vet med, the more it seems to fit me. To be honest though, I've never really wanted to be something else- it's the only thing I've ever seen myself doing. :)
 
When I was 24! :)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I was a latecomer - I only really set on it late in my junior year of undergrad. I had always wanted to go into something scientific/medical, but wasn't really sure where to apply it for a long time.
 
When I was 4. I know, that's the most cliche answer ever, but it's so true. Yea, I've bounced back and forth between what I wanted to do, but my parents always said I'd be a vet, and by god they were right. I'm a quarter of the way there and I can't imagine myself doing anything else. Of course, this summer seems to be flying by and I'm not quite ready to get back into studying...but I've go almost two months...:)
 
Yikes, this is making me feel old, but I had thought for years (I am 37 now) that "if I had to do it all over again, I'd be a vet". I majored in International Relations undergrad and have a masters in Hospitality Administration, but started working in rescue when I was about 27, and by the time I was 30, I was thinking that, but thought it was too late. But, I started reading about the prereqs anyway...and thought, geez, I will never get through those! The time! The money! The commitment! But when I was 35, I was sitting on a plane runway for the billionth time on a business trip for the company I was working for, and thought "you know, if I had to do it all over again, I'd be a vet" again. And then I thought, "am I going to still be saying that 10 years from now? 'Cause I could be a vet 10 years from now!" And here I am. :)

I meet a lot of undergrads in my classes who are stressed about what to major in and what they should do for the rest of their lives. I love that I am testament to the fact that what your major in college is does not mean you need to be involved in that subject for the rest of your life!
 
Yikes, this is making me feel old, but I had thought for years (I am 37 now) that "if I had to do it all over again, I'd be a vet". I majored in International Relations undergrad and have a masters in Hospitality Administration, but started working in rescue when I was about 27, and by the time I was 30, I was thinking that, but thought it was too late. But, I started reading about the prereqs anyway...and thought, geez, I will never get through those! The time! The money! The commitment! But when I was 35, I was sitting on a plane runway for the billionth time on a business trip for the company I was working for, and thought "you know, if I had to do it all over again, I'd be a vet" again. And then I thought, "am I going to still be saying that 10 years from now? 'Cause I could be a vet 10 years from now!" And here I am. :)

Well said, Vegan Chick! That's alot like my story. In my pre-teen and teen years I wanted to be a vet, so I started down the pre-vet path in my UG back in the 80's (yes, the 80's!). Then I got side tracked, ended up in agricultural comunications as my major, and have been working as account manager/sales specialist for a large ag company ever since.

But, I always said if I could do it again I'd go back and be a vet. Finally, I was working and strategizing for the coming year - as normal - with my key accounts in December 2005, and experienced what I call a "personal epiphany." At that point I wanted to see if I could actually still fulfill my dream, and not have regrets about not doing so when I'm 65 or 70.

So, I set off to the local vet school student affairs office, found that my BS counted and I only needed 3 more classes. I kept the career going, took classes, added more recent volunteer vet experience, and the rest is history - well, at least the admission into vet school part.

Now I am so at peace and ready for this adventure.
 
My story is somewhat similar.... I had wanted to be a vet until I took high school biology and chemistry - failed out of bio and barely passed chemistry. That scared me off of sciences for a long time and I ended up getting a degree in IT and working in IT for many years.

The company I work for started going through major changes about 4 years ago, about the same time I realized that I couldn't do IT or IT management for the rest of my life. I had always said that if I had to do it over again, then I would go into medicine. I was volunteering at the humane society and mentioned my desire to go into medicine to the manager and she suggested that I shadow the vet in the humane society clinic. Found out that I really liked vet med and started taking classes and shadowing. I start vet school in the fall at the age of 35! :D
 
I always thought maybe it's what I wanted to do but I didn't fully decide until my junior year of undergrad. That's what I really realized what I wanted to do with my career and DVM fit into that mold perfectly. Before then I thought I would have to go into private practice and I didn't think that was for me, but I wasn't sure. I took more research oriented classes then realized that I wanted to do something with that and having a DVM for research or LAM would be very beneficial. It was perfect for me and a way to combine my love for veterinary science and the research community. There are SO many different things you can do with a DVM.
 
I didn't know until 1 year ago. I had a moment of realization, but that story is reeeally cliche- so I'll spare you.

The journey goes like this though: It wasn't until senior high school that i got interested in science- specifically, brains. So I became a neuroscience major in undergrad and LOVED it. I assumed I'd go to grad school- be a "scientist" but when I started working in labs, I HATED IT. Not the science, but the atmosphere- the daily grind. So then I said, ok why not medicine? It's interesting, I'm smart- I can do this. I started looking into it, but I never really felt that connection- especially among my fellow pre-meds.

So I graduated, became a research tech. and decided I'd take a year off before applying to med. school. I was so stressed, and pissed off, and dreading about the whole thing I knew that something was wrong.

THANKFULLY, that's when it dawned on me- vet school. I started looking into that (because let's face it, I'd already tried on 2 other careers that didn't stick when I saw the "real world" aspects of them)- and it was a fit! So here I am- yay!

At 22 and a half I discovered I wanted to go to vet school, at 23 and a half I'm applying and with any luck at 24 and a half I'll be going (fingers crossed).

My story is not special (it's rather unremarkable), but for the OP I hope that you take the time to really do some soul-searching- figure out exactly what you want, and then go get it!
 
When I was a kid I wanted to be a vet, but I also wanted to be a writer, a brain surgeon (I thought it'd be cool to look inside people's brains), an astronaut, and a circus performer, haha. I kind of dropped those last two professions as I moved through middle school, and always thought I would do writing on the side, not as my main career. But I always had a blazing, can't-stop-beaming passion for animals. In high school I toyed for a while with being a human doctor; I'm not sure why, now. It sounded good, and I thought I would enjoy it. But when I got to college and went to a premed meeting, and it was filled with people going on about already having hundreds of hours experience doing ambulance ridealongs and nursing care assistance and what-have-you, it was like a wake-up call. I realized that the passion for it just wasn't there for me, and I couldn't see myself racking up those hours, let alone doing med school and the whole shebang.

I decided to focus on just getting my bio degree, and started pretty much assuming I was going to do vet school after. Continuing to have that blazing excitement every time I saw a cool bug or dissected a pigeon or went to the aquarium for vertebrates field trips really helped it be an easy choice. Having had experience volunteering at the zoo and working at a science museum also made me realize that I loved teaching people about animals in addition to the animals themselves. So I took 2 years after college to get my vet experience (and make sure I really loved the profession) and finish up my prereqs and now here I am, with little more than a month until orientation! (EEEP!) I'm 23, btw.
 
Sophmore year in high school. Before that I wanted to be a marine biologist, environmental lawyer, teacher, and something with public speaking. :)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I knew it was something I was interested in years ago. But I didn't really pursue it. I just wanted a job away from retail. I was young and boy crazy and didn't think much about "career." After high school I went to college and decided to go in the legal direction. 8 years after high school, and after 6 years of working with lawyers, I just know that I should be doing something else. I'm not bad at it, but if I'm still doing this in 10 years I'll be very disappointed in myself.

I came back around to it after what some would describe as a quarterlife crisis. I'll be in my early to mid-30s when I finish (assuming all goes well), but for me it feels like I'm finally starting the life I was supposed to lead.
 
Absolutely my whole life...I know that sounds cliche, but I have always known. I have pictures of myself wrapping up my real dog's "pretend" broken leg when I was like 5 with one of those plastic doctor kits. One day I will frame that picture and post it next to my DVM degree and hang it in my office...real classy :)
 
23 years old sitting in a cubical wearing a suit. I desperately needed to either find a new job or go back to school. I wasn't really busy so I had lots of time to think. Even though I was a liberal arts major in college, I was equal parts history and science nerd in high school. The science nerd itch was back, as was my desire to work outside all day rather than stuck in a office/cubical. Even though I'll be 30 when I graduate, I wouldn't trade it for the world!
 
Process of elimination! I always wanted to be a vet, but I gave some other professions a fair shot. I considered human med, talked to some pre-meds and decided it wasn't for me. I considered oral surgery, did a summer "internship" in high school and decided it wasn't for me. I considered writing because I always did so well in english comp. lit. and creative writing, but ultimately decided it wasn't for me. I could go through several other professions the same way, but the point is that I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I also liked the variety in vet. med. Vets perform many different functions and I get sick of doing the same thing all day everyday.
 
Wow, all of your stories are actually really inspiring. :) Thank you!

I wanted to be a vet for most of my elementary school - high school days, then switched to dentistry but now I'm looking at the possibility again..

Is it "too late" to try? I'm halfway through my Chemistry degree, so I know I'm on the right track as far as pre-reqs go, but as far as volunteering and shadowing experience, I have none. I'm really looking into starting to volunteer at the local humane society -- I've wanted to do that for a while now.. But is it too late to be a good candidate if I'm already missing two years of what could have been dedicated soley to vet med stuff??

Thanks for all your responses!!! :)
 
23 years old sitting in a cubical wearing a suit. I desperately needed to either find a new job or go back to school. I wasn't really busy so I had lots of time to think. Even though I was a liberal arts major in college, I was equal parts history and science nerd in high school. The science nerd itch was back, as was my desire to work outside all day rather than stuck in a office/cubical. Even though I'll be 30 when I graduate, I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Same story, except age 26 instead of 23. I'll be 38 when I'm done with vet school.
 
ever since I was a kid, I imagined being a vet. however, I didn't get serious about pursuing it as a career until recently. when I was younger, I thought there was no way in hell that I would have a chance in getting in vet school and I decided to pursue other interests. I actually was a pre-vet major as an undergrad but ended up switching b/c I kept hearing about how hard it was to get in. then a couple years ago after working lots of jobs that I wasn't quite happy with, I realized that my true passion is veterinary medicine and decided to final follow thru with it. definitely feels like that was the best decision of my life! lesson to learned here is never doubt yourself!!!
 
When I realized how awesome I looked in a lab coat... ;)
But seriously, since forever I've wanted to be a vet. As soon as I was old enough to actually think about my future, that seemed like the only option. I've tossed around about everything in the health field, but just keep comin' back to critters. I can't wait to start really throwing myself into it! :D
 
kd87 - I obtained all of my vet experience after getting my degree in biology. I did have about 1000 hours of animal experience over a few summers, but for all the vet experience I just got a job at a small animal clinic. I'm 23 and got in on my first try. It's certainly not "too late" to get experience, if you really want to. Look into volunteering or shadowing somewhere, or even a job if you have the time. If it was too late we wouldn't have any non-trads getting in, and that's certainly not the case!!!
 
kd87 - It is never too late! (Read my earlier post :D). Besides, it's not like if you don't get in the first time, you can't try again. Actually, the discussions I had with the Directors of Admission have been invaluable as to the areas I need to focus on to improve my chances of admission the second time around. You don't have to apply this year (and you would be surprised how fast a year goes by until the next cycle!) Besides, I would definitely try to get some various animal experiences besides just the shelter to definitively decide that veterinary medicine is for you. One experiences a lot of emotion in the field (remember, unlike human medicine, you have to deal with death from illness and euthanasia).

But, again, it is never too late!! Good luck!
 
I was your typical 'I always wanted to be a vet since I was born' girl, worked my butt off in every animal-related job I could find since I was 11 and graduated with a degree in Animal Science (Pre-vet concentration) AND pathobiology (thinking maybe that might boost my chances for vet school).

THEN I had my quarter-life crisis...OK, at nearly 25 maybe I'm still smack in the middle of it! But I started wondering if vet med really was the only way to go for me...I wasn't sure if there was something else I just hadn't tried or if I would even be cut out for life as a vet, plus the debt etc. etc.

Then after spending 6 months in Germany teaching business English I realized how much i enjoy medicine and that I thrive on working with animals...I figured if I didn't t least give it a fair shot that I would regret it forever! So maybe I am 10% unsure, but I am sure once I start vet school my insecurities will be down the drain!

AAAAAND ending the babbling. :D
 
23 years old sitting in a cubical wearing a suit. I desperately needed to either find a new job or go back to school. I wasn't really busy so I had lots of time to think. Even though I was a liberal arts major in college, I was equal parts history and science nerd in high school. The science nerd itch was back, as was my desire to work outside all day rather than stuck in a office/cubical. Even though I'll be 30 when I graduate, I wouldn't trade it for the world!
I'll ditto that ... same age et al

I'll probably be 32 or so when I graduate :) (if all goes according to plan)
 
When I was 10, my pony cut his leg wide open on the fence. By the time my mom got the vet there, I had already pinned the skin back together with safety pins (I even cleaned them in Listerine first), and stopped the bleeding and bandaged his leg using Kotex pads (back then they didn't have adhesive strips!). The vet took one look at the leg and told me if I didn't become a vet I'd be sorry. I had always wanted to be one, but that was the first time someone told me I should be one. The reason I didn't go after high school is that the guidance counselor told me that since I didn't have a 4.0 at the time, I'd NEVER get into Vet school. Fast forward 20 years and I am at my vet's office with one of the guide dogs we were raising. I was discussing his hip dysplasia with her and she asked me why I don't go to vet school. When I laughed and said that they would never take someone my age, she mentioned that she was a grandmother when she graduated. The doors then opened, one after another, and I am now starting my junior year as an undergrad with so much experience I can't remember it all.

We all here have one thing in common - destiny.
 
What is it with people telling us that we need to have 4.0 to get in?? Good grades, yes. Perfect, spotless 4.0 records - no! I wonder how many kids' dreams have been dashed by grumpy old advisers who don't have a clue.
 
What is it with people telling us that we need to have 4.0 to get in?? Good grades, yes. Perfect, spotless 4.0 records - no! I wonder how many kids' dreams have been dashed by grumpy old advisers who don't have a clue.

I ditto that! Part of why I even questioned myself wasn't because I believed my advisor when she said I would never get in, but rather because I wanted to 'show the world' that I could do it regardless of not having a 4.0...maybe a little rebellious! So I took awhile to make sure I was pursuing it for the right reasons!
 
What is it with people telling us that we need to have 4.0 to get in?? Good grades, yes. Perfect, spotless 4.0 records - no! I wonder how many kids' dreams have been dashed by grumpy old advisers who don't have a clue.


And unfortunately they are still out there. My biology advisor was telling me the same thing. I'm now a microbiology major and still applying to vet school. :D
 
That's one thing that I really like about the Veterinary community now - instead of dwelling on only allowing the 4.0 students continue on for a DVM, you must be well rounded and involved in your community. I'll bet everyone who reads this can think of at least one "seasoned" doc who really needs to get a life!

Speaking of bad advising, when I finally went back to school, my undergrad advisor told me that I shouldn't even consider taking any general classes (chem., biology, calc) because I "had done so well in high school in those classes, I would probably be bored". Yup, even after all these years I could still recite the periodic chart of elements - NOT!
:laugh:
 
I took the long way around to deciding to become a vet.

I wanted to be one since I was little. By the time I was 12, I had read probably every pet-related book at the public library. My mom worked next door to a vet who let me shadow for a day, and gave me her old copy of the Merck Veterinary Manual, which I promptly read cover to cover.

When I hit high school, I was so burned out with the public educational system, that I started skipping classes, and eventually dropped out. I knew I had to get at least an associate's degree to prevent being "just another dropout," so I looked into vet tech programs. There were none in my city, and my fiance didn't want to move to another city with me so I could go, so I chose to major in mortuary science. After getting my mortuary degree, I only stayed in the business for about 6 months. I loved embalming, but hated the used-car-salesman scummy practices they used to screw grieving people out of their money. So I got a job (that payed better) making microprocessers in a clean room. Suddenly, I was 22, and realized that time flies like crazy when you're working nights at a factory, and if I didn't quit and go back to school, I'd be 30 at the same job before I even noticed.

I decided to go back to school for my biology degree, with the intent of going into dentistry. I figured it was only 4 years, no residency, and your patients don't really die on you. About 6 months ago, I got smacked with a clue-by-four, and realized that I should just go into the field I've always wanted to. I think I was scared away from vet medicine for awhile, because I didn't know how I'd deal with euthanasia, and I didn't realize that it was just as competitive to get into dentistry as vet med. If I had stayed on track, I probably would've just would've gotten my DVM, but as things stand right now, I have about 6 more years of school left.
 
It's great how many paths there are to this profession. I'm still feeling mine out. I'll admit it, I was one of those 4.0 high school students :)o), primarily because I didn't join the school system until high school (I was home schooled), and so when I did get there, I really wanted to do well and prove myself. So I worked very hard. Growing up, I spent my days reading books and running around outside, finding every kind of animal I could--tadpoles from our pond, kittens from the barn cats on the farm, small snakes and baby turtles, etc.--so, like most little girls, I was drawn to vet med. When I hit high school, though, I floundered around a little; I didn't really know how formal academics worked, even though I have always been a self-starter and had done a lot of reading and library research on a variety of topics to supplement the schooling I got from my parents. I did well in chemistry, so I ended up majoring in that (and in German) in college. I'm really not sure why I didn't go pre-med at least from the very beginning, but I think I needed some time to grow.

Fast forward to six months after I finished my German BA (with, at that point, a chem minor): my husband and I moved back to the area we both grew up in, following a failed six month expedition to suburbia, and I got a temp job working in medical information at a local clinic. It was dull, didn't pay particularly well, and by three months in I knew that I had to go back to school to at least finish my chemistry degree and do something more meaningful with my life, since I didn't really want to work in a chemistry lab or teach German, and I realized that I still loved working with animals and had never lost my fascination with science and medicine. So I quit that job and worked for my parents for the summer; by fall I was enrolled in the local university taking my last remaining chemistry classes (just last week I was told my chemistry major was officially recorded at my first university!) and a few bio classes that I needed for my in-state vet school and one or two others. I also got a work-study job at the local humane society, which has only cemented my desire to work with people and animals; from the start I've loved it, I get along well with people there in a customer service capacity (which is a really important skill to learn for vets), and I really enjoy the tech work I get to do, such as physical exams, vaccinations, and so on. Tomorrow I take what will hopefully be the last exam of my last undergraduate class; all that remains is to get some good experience with actual vets (which I am sorely lacking), take the GRE, and apply. If all goes well, I'll join the class of 2014 at the U of MN.

So, really, there's no exact point when I decided vet med was for me, but I think it's been in my genes forever... it just took awhile for that trait to be expressed. :D
 
But, again, it is never too late!! Good luck!
Yeah... it is never too late.
I did it when I'm on Senior High School.
It's so different in my country, Indonesia. This is my fifth year as vet student, and I'll get the DVM about 7months to go. Hope I could pass all the exam :)
 
Top