"I did not major in the sciences (I majored in Sociology and Psychology). In my last year of college, I met a vet student and she encouraged me to carry out my life's dream of being a veterinarian. It's always been something that I wanted to do, but I never actively did anything about it because I was too scared of failure. I remember speaking to an Animal Science adviser my freshman year and she said that I had to get straight A's. My senior year, I joined the Vet Aide Club and got internships at the VMTH. Through these internships, I realized that I really do want a career in veterinary medicine! The internships introduced me to a world that I absolutely loved--it was challenging but really exciting. It was nothing like the experiences I received in my other non-veterinary internships! After graduating last year, I moved back home and I have been going to a local community college, getting my lower division prerequisites for veterinary school. I feel like I have no help here..the counselors don't know anything about grad schools, let alone vet schools! I know it's nearly impossible to get in, but it's my dream and I really hope to get in one day.. I'm doing the best I can, but it's hard because I don't know if I'm doing enough."
Concerns:
Many veterinary students did not major in Animal Science or a Biology related program, one of my classmates was an English major. You only have to complete the prerequisites for veterinary school. It is often appreciated by the application committee that you have a more unique background than other applicants, but the important thing is they want to know why you decided to pursue that. What inspired you about psychology and sociology in the first place and steered you that direction rather than Animal Science (and the reason can't be only because you feared the prerequisites for veterinary school). Then they want to know what steered you back towards veterinary medicine? You seem to have an excellent explanation for that! You realized your true passion and calling through internships. I went to Davis and still didn't feel like I had a lot of help from the advisers. I would recommend making your own game plan. Visit the UC Davis Veterinary School Website and really read through every part of it, use it as your encyclopedia!
Questions:
"How do I balance going to school and getting experience?"
This is a tough one, it can be difficult to work and go to school, but it is possible. I did it during my undergraduate career and from experience I know it takes persistence and a lot of your free time. I think in your situation, you need to focus first on your coursework, since you are heading back to school for additional courses (and I'm not sure what your GPA was when you graduated), but you should get at least A's and B's in the prerequisites for veterinary school since you are only taking those. I would pace yourself through those difficult courses, like don't take more than (3) a semester. Give yourself time to have a part time job or volunteer getting animal experience.
"What type of experience that I should be getting?"
This website has an amazing breakdown of experience types that veterinary school admission committees typically look for: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/prospectivestudents/experience.aspx
"I have a lot of small animal experience, but not a lot of horse experience, how can I get that?"
I would recommend volunteering at a therapeutic riding center near you. It's difficult to start getting horse experience if you don't know anything about horses, but you can volunteer at an animal sanctuary or any kind of farm really, but I feel if you get a diverse range of small animal experiences, you don't need the horse experience, although it would be nice. Putting only several weekends of experience with horses won't really make much of a difference especially if you want to enter into small animal practice anyway. http://vetschoolinfo.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-to-get-veterinary-expierence-and.html
