What is Vet School Like? Part 1

I recently received a question from a pre-vet student asking, "What is Veterinary school really like? I have heard it is really hard, but I'm wondering if it is really that much different from undergraduate courses."

To answer your question, it is a lot different than my undergraduate courses.

Below, I have taken a screen shot of my ical for next week. These week is a typical week in vet school, although some weeks we have less classes or labs, but typically this is what our schedule is like. Although school is primarily what consumes my life, I also take advantage of extra curriculars like Colic Team, Veterinary Business Managment Assoc. (VBMA) meetings, and several lunch talks that are offered throughout the quarter. Some weeks there are less extra things to do, but typically I try to participate in club activities as well as spay/neuter clinics on the weekends. You may wonder, why not just focus on school and studying for my classes? Well a lot of my classmates choose to just study and not attend or participate in many extra curriculars, but I believe that doing these types of activities in addition to school is essential for my future as a member of the Veterinary profession. No one is going to care if I got an A or a B, I mean when I graduate from UC Davis SVM, I will be a veterinarian. Of course I want good grades and I do study several hours a day, even on weekends. I just feel that getting actual hands on experience in the field is a good supplement to the veterinary curriculum. 

KEY:
VMD 421: Neurology
VMD 402B: Cardio Physiology
VMD 432: GI Anatomy
VMD 408: Animal Nutrition
VMD 430: Radiology
VMD 481: Case Discussions
VMD 401B: Anatomy of the head

We have additional classes throughout the quarter, such as Respiratory Physiology, some classes don't last all quarter. See below for this quarter's schedule.

I will be following this post with more about what vet school is like when I have more time, I'm off to study for Monday's Neurology exam!