Would it be crazy for me to think of pre-vet?

[maldan]

Hi,

I'm a high school senior who is facing graduation in May. For my entire life, I've been a good daughter, obeying my parents and doing what they've told me to do. They want me to be an accounting professor and keep the family tradition, so up until now I've been a heavily social sciences - oriented student; I applied to colleges as a business major as well. But ever since senior year started, I started to think about what my dream REALLY is. After thinking about my future thoroughly, I decided that being a vet is what I want to do. I was worried that I may be caught up in some sort of self made fantasy about being a vet, so I shadowed a vet for a day and saw what his real life day is like. It was far from gorgeous, and the vet told me that he sometimes has to perform euthanasia. Even after I've acknowledged such pains, I'm certain that I want to be a vet.

Put short, my motivations for wanting to become a vet isn't problematic; the real problem is whether I'll be able to excel in pre-vet courses. Like I mentioned above, I'm social sciences person because that's what I was trained to be. I did take AP Bio, AP Chem, and Anatomy and got a decent grade(5,5,95), but I'm well aware that the pre-vet courses I'll have to take(Organic Chem, Physics, etc.) are another level. I'm worried that if I don't do well in these courses and don't get accepted to vet school, my whole 4 years at college and my parents' money spent to pay for college expenses will go to waste.

Is it crazy for me to think of being a vet?

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[SkiOtter]

It’s not crazy. Definitely get more experience in a vet office, whether it’s shadowing or an actual paid position so you can make sure this career IS actually for you. And try to get experience in multiple different vet fields or at least different clinics if possible. One day of shadowing isn’t going to give you a full picture of this field.
Don’t let your parents control your future or pressure you into becoming an accounting professor if you don’t want to.

And unless you were going to a business-only school, applying with the intention of being a business major and saying that on your application isn’t going to force you to stay in business. If you DO want to still be a business major, that’s entirely fine to do, you just have to also be able to fit your prereqs in. You can major in whatever you want as long as you fulfill the required prereqs for the schools you’re applying to.
I do recommend doing some more research though and seeing the average debt and average salary for a veterinarian because they the debt is scary.

 

[dogcat09]

Hi,

I'm a high school senior who is facing graduation in May. For my entire life, I've been a good daughter, obeying my parents and doing what they've told me to do. They want me to be an accounting professor and keep the family tradition, so up until now I've been a heavily social sciences - oriented student; I applied to colleges as a business major as well. But ever since senior year started, I started to think about what my dream REALLY is. After thinking about my future thoroughly, I decided that being a vet is what I want to do. I was worried that I may be caught up in some sort of self made fantasy about being a vet, so I shadowed a vet for a day and saw what his real life day is like. It was far from gorgeous, and the vet told me that he sometimes has to perform euthanasia. Even after I've acknowledged such pains, I'm certain that I want to be a vet.

Put short, my motivations for wanting to become a vet isn't problematic; the real problem is whether I'll be able to excel in pre-vet courses. Like I mentioned above, I'm social sciences person because that's what I was trained to be. I did take AP Bio, AP Chem, and Anatomy and got a decent grade(5,5,95), but I'm well aware that the pre-vet courses I'll have to take(Organic Chem, Physics, etc.) are another level. I'm worried that if I don't do well in these courses and don't get accepted to vet school, my whole 4 years at college and my parents' money spent to pay for college expenses will go to waste.

Is it crazy for me to think of being a vet?

I don't think you are crazy at all, especially if you've shadowed. I would maybe go to a college where you can explore both at the same time. I went to a liberal arts school, so i had to take humanities and science at the same time. And the only way to know whether you will be able to excel in science courses is to give it a shot! Will you be guaranteed an A? No, but that's okay! College is harder than high school for sure, but it sounds like you are well equipped with the skills to do well if you did so well on your APs. I am a senior in UG right now, and I skipped a level of Chem because of my chem AP and I remember feeling SUPER overwhelmed at first. But after awhile I figured out my study habits and am heading off to vet school in the fall!

 

[maldan]

It’s not crazy. Definitely get more experience in a vet office, whether it’s shadowing or an actual paid position so you can make sure this career IS actually for you. And try to get experience in multiple different vet fields or at least different clinics if possible. One day of shadowing isn’t going to give you a full picture of this field.
Don’t let your parents control your future or pressure you into becoming an accounting professor if you don’t want to.

And unless you were going to a business-only school, applying with the intention of being a business major and saying that on your application isn’t going to force you to stay in business. If you DO want to still be a business major, that’s entirely fine to do, you just have to also be able to fit your prereqs in. You can major in whatever you want as long as you fulfill the required prereqs for the schools you’re applying to.
I do recommend doing some more research though and seeing the average debt and average salary for a veterinarian because they the debt is scary.

Of course! I don't think that one day of shadowing is enough for me to determine if this is really the path for me, either. That was just an example I wrote to show that I did some research about the career field. I'm currently volunteer working at a non-profit animal hospital to be more sure of my motivations. I've also searched up the financial problems of vet school&after, but I'm ready to put up with it. I was just worried about my parents' money, because they've agreed to help me with college expenses. Thank you so much for your reply! I'll definitely do more research and get more hands-on experience during the summer.

 

[FrostySparrow]

Definitely not crazy to consider being a veterinarian. Even more so, definitely not crazy to consider doing something you enjoy; that being said if you enjoy what you've been studying thus far, it doesn't hurt to continue to pursue a business degree while obtaining the necessary pre-requisites for vet school application purposes.
However, I would encourage you to gain more insight and experience into the field to ensure this career is actually for you. You may be 100% invested now (other than the hesitation regarding the required coursework), but that's based off of what appears to be very little hours shadowing a vet. There's a lot that goes into the profession, a lot that is to be considered in the different aspects (ER, GP, shelter, etc.) and especially different clinics within those subcategories (not all vets in GP work the same way or have the same experiences at work). As a medical profession we have quite a few ethical dilemmas that we encounter. In my previous experiences - ER, shelter med, and even GP and mobile clinics - I face some of these dilemmas on a daily basis.
When I first started out, I did so in shelter medicine because of those dilemmas. I wanted to be sure that if I was going to be in this field I could handle all of it; I don't necessarily have to like it, but I had to be able to accept that it was a part of vet med (at least for the time being). After such, I was lucky enough to have been hired into GP as an assistant and continued my trend to a tech within a shorter time-span than most (and at a younger age).
In regards to the courses, I consider myself a life sciences person. I've never had a knack for social sciences or arts, taking macroeconomics was a killer for me. And I still struggle with the courses in reference, as a 4.0 student I got a C in Ochem 1 (and will most likely end Ochem 2 with the same grade) and it was a huge blow to my ego!! I decided I had to just get up, dust myself off, and continue on this path. Getting a C doesn't mean I'm a bad student, 'stupid', nor does it mean I'll make a bad veterinarian. Getting a C meant I had an average understanding of the material in that course (I would say getting a C was a bit gracious even, although I understood the material I couldn't apply it appropriately... I miss gen chem!). But I also have to acknowledge that as an applicant those grades do hurt me, I may need to consider retaking them (financially not ideal); but it also lit a fire in me to try even harder!

Best of luck in this crazy journey!!

 

[SkiOtter]

Of course! I don't think that one day of shadowing is enough for me to determine if this is really the path for me, either. That was just an example I wrote to show that I did some research about the career field. I'm currently volunteer working at a non-profit animal hospital to be more sure of my motivations. I've also searched up the financial problems of vet school&after, but I'm ready to put up with it. I was just worried about my parents' money, because they've agreed to help me with college expenses. Thank you so much for your reply! I'll definitely do more research and get more hands-on experience during the summer.

I figured you were planning on getting more experience, just wanted to make sure you were going to try and get some before fully committing to this path and taking a bunch of prereqs to only realize that you didn’t actually love the field

 

[maldan]

I don't think you are crazy at all, especially if you've shadowed. I would maybe go to a college where you can explore both at the same time. I went to a liberal arts school, so i had to take humanities and science at the same time. And the only way to know whether you will be able to excel in science courses is to give it a shot! Will you be guaranteed an A? No, but that's okay! College is harder than high school for sure, but it sounds like you are well equipped with the skills to do well if you did so well on your APs. I am a senior in UG right now, and I skipped a level of Chem because of my chem AP and I remember feeling SUPER overwhelmed at first. But after awhile I figured out my study habits and am heading off to vet school in the fall!

Wow, I never thought of going to a liberal arts college! It's a pity that applications are over and I can't apply to any more schools, but I'll definitely try out those science courses. Your comment about giving things a shot is really helpful. Thank you so much for your reply!!

 

[maldan]

I figured you were planning on getting more experience, just wanted to make sure you were going to try and get some before fully committing to this path and taking a bunch of prereqs to only realize that you didn’t actually love the field

Oh, I'm super sorry if I sounded aggressive or anything That wasn't my intention AT ALL. Your response really helped. Thank you so much!! <3

 

[finnickthedog]

the real problem is whether I'll be able to excel in pre-vet courses. Like I mentioned above, I'm social sciences person because that's what I was trained to be. I did take AP Bio, AP Chem, and Anatomy and got a decent grade(5,5,95), but I'm well aware that the pre-vet courses I'll have to take(Organic Chem, Physics, etc.) are another level.

I'm just going to address this part.

When I was a high school senior, I definitely did not think that I would be able to excel in Organic Chem.
As a college senior, I was skeptical about my ability to handle basically any of the vet school courses.

But as I reached each of those levels it turns out I could survive and/or excel in all of those things.

And right now, as a first year in vet school, in seems impossible that I am going to be a competent veterinarian at the end of these four years... but I probably will be.

You get there over time. It's fine and it's normal to be worried about those subjects now because you aren't there yet, but when you get there they aren't that bad (or they may be bad, but doable). And when you get past them and you look back, sometimes you wonder why you were ever worried about that class in the first place.

 

[maldan]

Definitely not crazy to consider being a veterinarian. Even more so, definitely not crazy to consider doing something you enjoy; that being said if you enjoy what you've been studying thus far, it doesn't hurt to continue to pursue a business degree while obtaining the necessary pre-requisites for vet school application purposes.
However, I would encourage you to gain more insight and experience into the field to ensure this career is actually for you. You may be 100% invested now (other than the hesitation regarding the required coursework), but that's based off of what appears to be very little hours shadowing a vet. There's a lot that goes into the profession, a lot that is to be considered in the different aspects (ER, GP, shelter, etc.) and especially different clinics within those subcategories (not all vets in GP work the same way or have the same experiences at work). As a medical profession we have quite a few ethical dilemmas that we encounter. In my previous experiences - ER, shelter med, and even GP and mobile clinics - I face some of these dilemmas on a daily basis.
When I first started out, I did so in shelter medicine because of those dilemmas. I wanted to be sure that if I was going to be in this field I could handle all of it; I don't necessarily have to like it, but I had to be able to accept that it was a part of vet med (at least for the time being). After such, I was lucky enough to have been hired into GP as an assistant and continued my trend to a tech within a shorter time-span than most (and at a younger age).
In regards to the courses, I consider myself a life sciences person. I've never had a knack for social sciences or arts, taking macroeconomics was a killer for me. And I still struggle with the courses in reference, as a 4.0 student I got a C in Ochem 1 (and will most likely end Ochem 2 with the same grade) and it was a huge blow to my ego!! I decided I had to just get up, dust myself off, and continue on this path. Getting a C doesn't mean I'm a bad student, 'stupid', nor does it mean I'll make a bad veterinarian. Getting a C meant I had an average understanding of the material in that course (I would say getting a C was a bit gracious even, although I understood the material I couldn't apply it appropriately... I miss gen chem!). But I also have to acknowledge that as an applicant those grades do hurt me, I may need to consider retaking them (financially not ideal); but it also lit a fire in me to try even harder!

Best of luck in this crazy journey!!

Right, why didn't I think of the diverse aspects?! I should definitely take a look and get some experience in all the subcategories of the area as well. I'll try to do that during summer break. Thank you so much for your reply!

 

[SkiOtter]

Oh, I'm super sorry if I sounded aggressive or anything That wasn't my intention AT ALL. Your response really helped. Thank you so much!! <3

No no!! You didn’t!!! I was just clarifying that I wasn’t thinking you had made a completely uninformed decision, just that I didn’t want you to go headfirst in without making sure you were informed! (Which some of the other prevets starting out on here get REAL SALTY when you mention these things to them when you’re just trying to make sure they don’t change their minds after getting more experience but already being far into prereqs)

 

[maldan]

I'm just going to address this part.

When I was a high school senior, I definitely did not think that I would be able to excel in Organic Chem.
As a college senior, I was skeptical about my ability to handle basically any of the vet school courses.

But as I reached each of those levels it turns out I could survive and/or excel in all of those things.

And right now, as a first year in vet school, in seems impossible that I am going to be a competent veterinarian at the end of these four years... but I probably will be.

You get there over time. It's fine and it's normal to be worried about those subjects now because you aren't there yet, but when you get there they aren't that bad (or they may be bad, but doable). And when you get past them and you look back, sometimes you wonder why you were ever worried about that class in the first place.

So I can do it if I work hard, just like any other subject! I shouldn't be worried, just prepared. I think I'll do some studying over summer break, just to ease my nerves. Thank you for your reply

 

[SkiOtter]

So I can do it if I work hard, just like any other subject! I shouldn't be worried, just prepared. I think I'll do some studying over summer break, just to ease my nerves. Thank you for your reply

DONT DO SOME STUDYING OVER SUMMER BREAK. ENJOY YOUR SUMMER. DONT BURN OUT BEFORE YOU EVEN START.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

DONT DO SOME STUDYING OVER SUMMER BREAK. ENJOY YOUR SUMMER. DONT BURN OUT BEFORE YOU EVEN START.

Seriously. Enjoy your summers - the only time you're going to have summers is when you're in school - they cease to exist as soon as you enter the grown-up job market. The vast majority of your life is going to be year-round work with occasional holidays and a paltry 1-2 weeks vacation time/yr. At most, use your summers to do jobs or gain experiences that will help you learn and that you enjoy - don't waste it pre-studying.

 

[DVMDream]

DONT DO SOME STUDYING OVER SUMMER BREAK. ENJOY YOUR SUMMER. DONT BURN OUT BEFORE YOU EVEN START.

This. You can not study enough or even know if you are studying "right" (as in teaching yourself correctly) without being in school/class. You will not give yourself a head start, it just doesn't work out that way. Enjoy summer. Really. You only get this time in your life where you can have 3 months to do whatever you want. Embrace it. You will miss that time once you are an adult and actually working. I would kill to get 3 months off with nothing to do at this point.

 

[adriata88]

This. You can not study enough or even know if you are studying "right" (as in teaching yourself correctly) without being in school/class. You will not give yourself a head start, it just doesn't work out that way. Enjoy summer. Really. You only get this time in your life where you can have 3 months to do whatever you want. Embrace it. You will miss that time once you are an adult and actually working. I would kill to get 3 months off with nothing to do at this point.

Completely agree. I’m a first year undergrad student and I was able to place into Organic Chemistry as a freshman. The summer before, I spent time going through the textbook only to find that the material we were tested on was in the *lectures* not the book. It will likely be a much more efficient and productive use of your time if you gain some experience, or heck, have some fun, rather than waste it studying in vain without having knowledge of your course structure.

 

[maldan]

@WhtsThFrequency @DVMDream @adriata88 Thank you all so much for your reply! I'll follow the advice and enjoy my summer as much as I can

 

[Linkin]

Put short, my motivations for wanting to become a vet isn't problematic; the real problem is whether I'll be able to excel in pre-vet courses. Like I mentioned above, I'm social sciences person because that's what I was trained to be. I did take AP Bio, AP Chem, and Anatomy and got a decent grade(5,5,95), but I'm well aware that the pre-vet courses I'll have to take(Organic Chem, Physics, etc.) are another level. I'm worried that if I don't do well in these courses and don't get accepted to vet school, my whole 4 years at college and my parents' money spent to pay for college expenses will go to waste.

Is it crazy for me to think of being a vet?

I wouldn't stress the classes if you are as motivated as you sound. You'll come to find out that if you care enough you'll always find a way to make it possible. 2 Years ago I was working full-time, taking almost full-time worth of classes, volunteering half of every Saturday at an aquarium, the other half at one zoo and every Sunday at a different zoo. I was excelling at all of that as well, not just getting by. It was because I was determined to get those experiences and education while also having financial responsibilities. I'm sure you will be no different.