you people that are in it/have been in it/are DVMs

what are your feelings on it...glad you went through with it? wish you did different? what...

just lookin some opinions

12/5/2007 1:19:46 AM

well if you want to be a vet, i'd say it's a good thing to go to.

12/5/2007 8:21:19 AM

Quote :

"well if you want to be a vet, i'd say it's a good thing to go to."

12/5/2007 8:26:19 AM

I'd put it up to the same standards as being a lawyer or a doctor.

It's a hard school, it's demanding, it's competitive.

You really have to want to be a vet to get through, so if you're only half thinking about it or not really sure, don't waste the time, money, or pain.

Instead I'd go work at a vet clinic for awhile to get a better feel and see if it was really my calling, then apply.

[Edited on December 5, 2007 at 9:08 AM. Reason : ..]

12/5/2007 9:07:47 AM

it's too late to think about being a vet now. You should have thought about it when you're a freshman.

12/5/2007 9:39:37 AM

^ nah. my wife didn't decide she wanted to go to vet school until she was 24. As long as you have laid / can lay the groundwork of excellent grades and necessary pre-reqs, don't feel like you have to have decided to be a vet when you were 12.

^^one of the very necessary pre-reqs is hands-on animal experience, whether its paid work, volunteer work, or shadowing, you basically have to do that.

My thoughts:
-Admissions is extremely competitive, be prepared to (a) have a back up plan, and (b) possibly go out of state to another school (or choose between the two).
-Your earnings as a vet will be a pretty bad salary-to-educational-debt ratio, esp. compared to the average lawyer or physician. Do it because you want to do it.
-Careers in public health, specialties, or teaching will require additional education: 3 years for a residency or several years for an Mph, etc. keep that in mind.
-You will smell like formaldehyde for several years.

12/5/2007 10:19:42 AM

Vet school is the hardest thing I have ever been through. But I love it and wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Sitting with the same 100 people from 9am to 5pm though turns us back into high schoolers. It's insane.

UPenn V'11

12/5/2007 11:45:50 AM

The schooling itself wasn't that hard, more of an extension of undergrad, but a little harder with a LOT more material to study for each test and final. And by more material I mean I whole lot more material. But to be honest I thought when I started I would have to study 24/7 and it isn't like that at all. I did extracurricular animal projects, but I also was heavily involved in intramurals at NC State (all sports). I also went out/downtown probably more than in undergrad (and lets be honest I went to a party school (ECU) in undergrad). So going to school itself is challenging, but definitely do-able. And like the poster above me said it is a lot like high school. Same classmates all day for 4 years and you get lockers again. But it is fun.

As far as would I do it again. I probably would do it again, but make sure it is what you want to do. The pay SUCKS for what you do. If you just like medicine, consider medical school. You get paid better and the hours for both aren't great. If you love animals and working only with animals, consider as a vet you actually work with the people more (ie. clients, techs, other docs, etc).

But overall if you want to be a vet I say go for it. Shadow vets first so you know what you are getting yourself into. Vets you shadow ask them the same question. Most will give you honest answers both good and bad. But if want it enough than go for it.

NCSU-CVM Class of 2006
AMC Intern Class of 2007

[Edited on December 5, 2007 at 1:22 PM. Reason : .]

12/5/2007 1:18:55 PM

My wife is a vet, same class as ^, and it seemed to me that vet school was as difficult as each individual made it. Sure its a ton of reading/studying but most of the people were used to that sort of work from earning the top-of-the-class type grades in undergrad to get there in the first place. It seemed like the "C's = Degrees" attitudes were a lot less stressed where as my wife was fighting to earn a Pathology residency so being at the top of the class in vet school was a must and made it more difficult/stressful. I believe its only one or two out of the 70-80 or so in a class that don't graduate and most of those seem to be pregnancies, military, or serious illness/personal issue. It definitely seemed like managing marriages/relationships during vet school was more straining than the actual workload. The one thing that drove me crazy is that the ONLY thing people ever talked about was vet school. Go out to a bar and it would be 4 hours of rehashing the same old stories about classes, professors, externships, etc. Drove me fucking crazy. It really is like high school on steroids.

Oh, and last I heard the average vet makes about $40,000-$70,000 a year (after 8 years of school and likely a year or two of internship)... you better really love animals. Definitely shadow too because I know some of my wife's friends are bored out of their mind doing run-of-the-mill vet clinic checkups day after day.

12/5/2007 11:12:07 PM