Pre-Veterinary Advising: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

http://www.tcc.edu/welcome/collegeadmin/OIE/SACCR/Conference_Information/2009/2009_Conference_Info.htm

 Let's face it, if you are planning on pursing a career as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, you need some sort of advising. You may think you can do it on your own, but I'm telling you from experience it is best to seek someone who is experienced with the admissions requirements and process. Most schools offer free advising services of various different types. There is academic advising, pre-graduate school advising, pre-professional (like pre-vet) school advising, peer advising, career advising, etc. At least at Davis there are so many different types of counselors to choose from. It can often be overwhelming for undergrads trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. In my opinion, you should visit all the counselors available to you. The more information and knowledge you can get regarding your potential career choices the better. The more connections and job fairs you attend, the better chance you will succeed in your future. 

You can Google all you want, but that doesn't make up for being able to speak to a real person about the admissions process. Of course, using Google as a resource helps to get a head start, but you should really discuss your academic plans with an academic adviser. I have found some very resourceful information on most veterinary school websites. They are often really open to conversing with you and usually list if they have any specific prerequisite requirements. If you plan on pursuing any professional or graduate school, planning ahead is essential. You need to get the right experiences as an undergraduate AND keep your grades up. Most importantly, you need to make sure you are taking the right prerequisite courses. 

I also suggest if you are interested in VetMed, start your educational/advising plans early. Starting in middle school is not too early, starting after a second career is also not too late, but obviously you have to work harder to catch up.

Take what academic advisers say with a grain of salt. If your gut feeling is you don't believe something they tell you, please double check their statements or comments with someone else. In the past, I have been "advised" to take courses I do not need, I have been told to repeat courses I did not need to repeat. Counselors may know a lot about advising, but they do NOT know everything. They only meet you for a brief moment and are asked to give you advice that will greatly affect your future and educational experience. I was once told by an academic counselor that if I didn't apply to multiple veterinary schools then I obviously did not want to be a veterinarian that badly. I'm sure if you have ever read my blog that you know that this is NOT true, but that was what I was told when I applied to ONLY UC Davis for the second time. They were sure wrong weren't they? And looking back on it, I remember that counselor made me cry because I was so uncertain about my future and if I could really get into vet school or not (which is something I TRULY wanted). So please, take what they say with a grain of salt, use them as a valuable resource, but be sure to check your resources to make sure they are presenting accurate and up to date information.

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”

Here is some really great advice on becoming a veterinarian from a well respected vet that has established his own blog: http://avetsguidetolife.blogspot.com/