life in vet school

I DID IT! I start my new job as an associated veterinarian on Monday. I’m so excited!! This also means I’m off my hiatus and I apologize in advance for the VERY late response in asks. I will be better :)

Side note, I will NOT give advice over tumblr or give you any medicine opinions over the internet. If you have any questions about the health of your animal, call your local veterinarian. It is literally illegal for me give advice over the internet and refuse to do so. If I receive these asks, I will either say “call your local vet” or delete them. Sorry for the harshness!

This is a great question! I will answer each question separately.

how do I prepare to get into vet school?This can depend on the school you wish to attend. All in all, the best way to prepare is to learn how to study properly. Not the night before, but small amounts every day. Value sleep. Sleep is important and you lose a lot of it when veterinary school starts, but it’s important that as long as you follow a proper study method, you should be able to sleep in school. 

what would be desirable in a resume?Work experience and extracurricular activities is important!! Hold some leadership positions, apply for scholarships, join a sport, volunteer in your community. Veterinary schools like candidates who work hard outside of school. Everyone who applies has great grades and scores. What sets you apart is what you do with your free time. I unfortunately had no extracurriculars or research experience but worked my butt off at a veterinary clinic all during my undergrad. I was able to get through due to my recommendations and I think my interviews really helped. 

should I shadow my local vets?  what type of animal experience are schools looking for? Yes, yes yes! Shadow different types of vets as well. Small animal, exotics, equine, and food animal. Get well rounded in all your options, even if it’s only for 6 months to a year. This makes you look like you are serious about this career. I was one of the students in the interview process for new first years and those who had shadowed or helped with many different veterinarians had better scores on their portfolios. This will also help you see if you absolutely want this career. Many who shadow vets or work in the clinics realize that veterinary medicine is more than what you think or read about. It’s much different working there than you think. 

what back up careers are there just in case it doesn’t work out?If you’re asking careers if you don’t want to do veterinary medicine? That question I can’t quite answer because it depends on you personally. You can do absolutely anything. If you’re asking if you finish vet school but don’t want to be a doctor? You can work in the USDA, FDA, pharamaceuticals, nutrition, research, agriculture, etc. This question is hard for me to answer because this really depends on your specific interests. I would however make sure you really want to go to vet school before joining due to the significant amount of debt involved and the stress involved with veterinary school in general. 

Hello and I’m so sorry I’ve taken so long to get back to you, anon. I 100% know how you feel. I was surrounded by people who did SO well and would get upset with 85% and always wanted A’s while I was happy just getting over a 70% grade. I know it’s easy to say to not compare yourself, but I think it’s important to take it a different way. Go to your friends for help and keep yourself surrounded by the motivated people.

Do NOT let it bring you down. Learn from your mistakes and also remember, this is your first go around. Undergraduate studies and high school studies came easy for many of the vet med students. You just have to make adjustments and don’t lose sight of your goals. Also remember to NEVER be afraid to ask for help. Vet school is VERY HARD. It’s challenging and will push you to your limits, but remember that the beauty of this career is that everyone wants to help you. 

Also remember that you are absolutely not alone in how you feel. I was scared every step of the way with vet school. The first year is absolutely the hardest, but once you find your flow, you will succeed. Remember you are here to learn veterinary medicine. While passing is important of course, people who memorize to get A’s don’t always do as well as those who get C’s but actually LEARNED the material.