Spring Quarter is Winding Down

This quarter has gone by so fast, we're down to three weeks left of classes and one week with 4 finals. That's right, somehow we went from like 9 classes to only 4. We're left with immunology, parasitology, renal physiology, and hematology. Plus my two electives, small animal radiology discussion and the equine neonatal course. 

Overall it has been a great quarter, I have struggled in one of my classes (I'm not perfect), but have really excelled in others. I really enjoy immunology and parasitology. Hematology is very interesting as well, learning all about blood can be really fun. Plus, these three courses overlap with one another! They have a lot of material that overlaps, like blood smears, the immune response, immune cells, etc. 


I have experienced a lot of new things this quarter, I've been able to work and attend classes. I love my job in the equine ICU and work with a lot of wonderful, very knowledgeable people who have the patient's best interest in mind. I am learning a lot!

I have taken new opportunities to be a leader for the Mercer clinic (treating pets of the homeless in Sacramento) as well as becoming a coordinator for the Coalition for Community Cats feral cat clinics in Sacramento. 

I think the scariest thing so far this year has been in passing the second year students in the hall. Their spring quarter is really tough, they all are taking many classes and have so many tests! I heard they had five exams in three days. They all look very tired and it is just slightly scary that I will soon be in their shoes.  

If any of you pre-vets are looking for experience, try the UC Davis Summer enrichment program: http://sharonostermann.blog.com/2011/05/10/pre-vet-get-experience-at-uc-davis-with-the-summer-enrichment-program/

 I wish life was this easy!

Welcome class of 2015!!!

 

The Class of 2014 UCD SVM

Just under a year ago, we took our oath at our white coat ceremony after completing our orientation to veterinary school. The beginning of our veterinary medicine education and the start of a career for the rest of our lives. 

I cannot believe it has been a whole year since I received my letter informing me that I had been accepted to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine! I remember there was lots of celebrating involved and I still couldn't believe it had actually happened. Well let me tell you, It HAS HAPPENED! You have been accepted to one of the greatest vet schools in the US, congrats on getting into UC Davis! 

If you guys have any questions, especially only ones current veterinary students can answer, I'm all ears: feel free to comment on my blog, facebook me, or email me. Heck if you even want someone to show you around Davis, let me know :) and WELCOME!

 

White Coat Ceremony: Reading our oath

My first real white coat! With the UCD logo! 

Closing Budget Gaps: The Veterinary Education Crisis

In the most current Dean's update from Dr. Bennie Osburn (the current Dean of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine), he wrote that “it appears that over the last 2-years, the U.S. veterinary schools will have collectively lost more than $125 million in state funding.” 

This statement is not a shock to me, but is of a major concern. With the increased need for veterinarians, we need to keep our veterinary schools full and up to par with the highest education standards possible. If there is not money for veterinary schools, it will be unlikely that the schools will be able to produce skilled, competent veterinarians with such diminished resources. 

In an article that appeared in DVM 360, it was mentioned that “UC-Davis relies on state funding for about one third of its budget and has endured $5 million in cuts over the last three years. The university is planning a tuition increase of about 12 percent — from $27,045 to $30,246 — for the 2010-2011 school year.” 

These tuition hikes greatly affect my classmates and I. Many wonder if veterinary education will hit a tipping point. "Several U.S. veterinary colleges have met initial budget cuts in part by generating more revenue through higher tuition and increased enrollment.However, these institutions are likely approaching a critical threshold on tuition costs, as evidenced by median educational debt of $130,000 reported for 2010 graduates, an increase of 4 percent over 2009. High student debt load is not surprising, given that mean annual tuition for students at U.S. veterinary schools during the 2010-2011 academic year is $40,017 for full-time, out-of-state students and $22,348 for in-state students."

It is difficult for me to understand why people still think that taking their pets to the veterinarian is too expensive, with such extensive loan debt upon graduation from veterinary school, many new grads are struggling to find a job even though the need for veterinarians is high. I do understand that the general public is under a lot of pressure to meet the basic care needs of their pets due to such an unfortunate economy, but they need to understand where veterinarians are coming from. We would love to offer reduced services for those in need, but our own lives would be greatly affected by this and we would be unable to keep the clinics open and stocked with necessary drugs, staff, and tools for quality veterinary medicine. 


I really wonder how far the schools will have to go as far as accepting budget cuts and managing them effectively. How bad will the states let the veterinary schools get before they decide to raise taxes on the richer sector of our country and re-allocate this upside down pyramid of an economy.

As state buget cuts continue with no sight in end, I think our states and our country need to consider the importance of higher educational needs for the future of our country, it's citizens, our animals and the world.

Scholarships: My Road to Vet School

At the CA state Fair Scholarship Gala with "Poppy" the bear

I have had a lot of people ask me about Scholarships. Money is a growing concern for everyone receiving a higher education these days. Let's face it, our economy is not doing well. I wanted to share my personal experience of paying my way through school by obtaining over $15,000 in scholarships. I also worked during my undergraduate education which you can see from my experiences. 


My parents did put aside some money for me to attend college, as they started saving when I was just a baby, they purchased bonds in hopes to make money off them later when I was all grown up and ready for college. I was also left some money from my Great Grandmother when she passed. She lived a long happy life and I am so lucky to have met her, whenever she visited she always gave us cookies and milk. She lived on the small island of Alameda, CA (near the bay area). 


Anyways, I haven't touched any of that money yet thanks to the generous amount of scholarships I have received over the years. I don't know the best way to help you find the scholarships that are right for you, but I can give you some tips on how to start looking. 


I would begin by doing your best to apply for scholarships in high school because this is when they are most available. I received $5,000 after graduating from high school just from applying for scholarships offered through my high school by the local community. I won a scholarship from the FFA program, and from the local community organizations. I decided to go to community college instead of a university or state school to begin with so I could save money and stay close to home. I think this was the best idea I ever had although I did miss out on the dorm living, I still don't think I missed much, plus tuition was $26/unit and I averaged about 16 units a semester, so all in all tuition was under $900/year plus the cost of books/parking pass, etc. I also applied for scholarships every year of college, averaging about 2-3 scholarships ranging from $500-$1,000 each per year. I searched the internet high and low for scholarships relating to my career field as well as applying for scholarships through my community college. I also joined Fastweb, which gives you a list of questions regarding your religion, race, age, career interest, etc. and matches you will scholarships you are eligible for. I also highly recommend applying for FAFSA (federal and state financial aid). It never hurts to apply and you might get money from them! I did when I started my first year at UC Davis. Also, see if scholarships are offered by your parent's work. I know some companies offer scholarships specifically for dependents of their employees. Also the military takes great care of their soldiers and their dependents. My Step-father served in Vietnam and I get benefits for being one of his dependents. I only found this out in the middle of last year, so I have only received benefits since then. So exploring those options early if they pertain to you is a great idea. I encourage you to go talk to your school's financial aid office and ask them for help, that is what we pay them for anyways! Also, don't forget to get scholarship applications in by their due dates and most importantly don't forget to include all the application materials. I have heard this is the most common reason for people not winning scholarship monies they applied for because they forgot one little part of the application. So don't let that be you! I got a phone call once when I accidentally sent an unofficial transcript with one of my scholarship applications and was told that unfortunately my application would not be in consideration for their scholarship award. I was crushed because I had applied and received this scholarship before and couldn't believe I had overlooked such a minor detail. So check and double check your application packet before you submit it. 

Google has been one of my favorite search engines when looking for scholarships, I often use key words with "scholarship" such as "equine" or "veterinary" or "transfer" to locate scholarships that are right for me. Often, scholarships are not advertised or right in front of you, and often must be sought out. 


On another note about your scholarship application packet, only include what they ask you for, they don't want a bunch of extra paper included that they have to sort through to get the information they asked for. If they ask for a resume, keep it to one page in length and really only include what is relevant to that scholarship application. Also, never use staples with your scholarship application packed, I have found that many committees prefer paper clips over staples, because it enables them to easily view your application, but also to take a page out of your application and pass it around to other committee members. The only thing I would recommend including unless they say not to include it is a photo of you. This is a really big push for them to award you the scholarship, because they actually see you and I don't know if it's proven, but I believe it may help over applications without photos. If you are going to include a photo, it must be professional or close to it, for example, I included a photo from my senior portraits in high school, one with me and my Arabian horse, "Cal" at the time. Another thing you can include unless the application states "only" is extra letters of recommendation. The more people that recommend you for the scholarship, the better and keep in mind they must be GOOD letters of recommendation from someone that really knows you. Most scholarship applications ask for 2-3 letters of recommendation, but sometimes I have included 4 outstanding letters. I honestly don't know if this really helps, but I'm sure it won't hurt. 


Just make sure your application is the best you can do, you don't have to use fancy paper, but make sure the printer made the text clear, that everything is spell-checked, in order, etc. The better you can present your application, the better chance you have of getting yourself elected, they usually don't get to meet you although some scholarships have interviews, your application may be the deciding factor in awarding you the scholarship. It is very similar to applying for a job, you want to be the desired, respectable, and knowledgeable candidate. 

Start Saving for college EARLY!!! It is worth the investment.

Scholarships I have received: 

California State Fair Scholarship (two times)
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West Coast Equine Foundation Dick Randall Memorial Scholarship (three times)
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Arabian Horse Foundation Scholarship
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CCPOA (California Correctional Peace Officers Association) scholarship (two times)
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Placer/Nevada County Cattlewoman's Scholarship (two times)
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FFA High School Scholarship
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Perry/Stella Tracy Memorial Scholarship (three or four times)
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Cameron Park Rotary Club Community Scholarship
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UC Davis Transfer Student Scholarship (covered my first year of tuition at UCD)
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The Rourke Family Foundation Scholarship 

Vet School Choices

“I'm a senior biology major at the University of Portland in Oregon. I was recently admitted to 3 vet schools through the WICHE program: Washington State, Colorado State, and Oregon State. I decided not to accept my UC Davis interview because going to school there would be prohibitively expensive, but I wanted to see if you could make some generalizations about vet school for me.

I guess I want to know what you like about your school and what you think could be better. What makes your school special and what do you wish you had?

I visited CSU this past weekend, but I have no way to assess what I saw, since it was my first visit. What kinds of things should I be asking about when I am trying to make my decision?

I also want to ask specifically about class size. OSU has a class of 56 while CSU has a class of 140. If I am reading UC Davis' site correctly, it appears that you have about 130. Do you wish your class were smaller? It appears that you get enough time with your professors.

I am interested in zoological medicine. I respect your work with horses! Horses scare me a little because the only "large" animals I have ever been around are giraffes, but we're never allowed directly in with them. Hooves are frightening.”

First off, you pose some very good questions that I’m sure many people are wondering themselves. Second, congratulations on being admitted to three different veterinary schools! That is not an easy feat.

I understand your worry about UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine being so expensive, but frankly I wouldn’t have wanted to go to any other veterinary school. I have kind of a biased opinion on this, cause I was born and raised less than an hour away from UC Davis. Plus my family still lives close by and I am kind of in love with California. I'm also lucky to pay in state tuition. I don’t like the freezing cold, and I don’t think I could handle the amount of snow that other vet schools get. I love being near my family, the ocean, the mountains, San Francisco, LA, basically I’m a California girl, so that is my personal opinion. I also chose Davis though because of their program, although we rank 3^rd top veterinary school nationally, I still think we’re the best school! My experience at UC Davis as an undergrad was phenomenal. The university is very involved in research and has a wonderful veterinary program. Several of my classmates who are from out of state also say the same things about Davis, they love the program, and they love the location. I can only make some generalization about my school’s program and what I have researched about others. Many of the world’s top professors work at Davis and most of our professors are also clinicians. They are often at the top of their field of interest and have a passion for teaching.  

I would like to begin with telling you that when you select a school, it should be somewhere you really want to go (and live for the next four years). It should have the programs that you are interested in and allow you to gain the experiences you will need for your desired field. Honestly, it doesn’t matter where you get your D.V.M. from, once you graduate, you are a D.V.M. So having that said, I think it is vital to get the experiences and knowledge you want from your education. Get what you are paying for so to say.

My class has 135 students and from what I understand they plan on raising that figure to allow more out of state students and therefore make more money since they pay additional out of state tuition. I honestly don’t have a problem with such a large class size; I still have one on one contact with my professors and feel as though I benefit from having 135 colleagues and friends to get through vet school with. I don’t doubt that smaller class sizes allow for more individual time and learning, but on the other hand, I don’t at all think a large class size inhibits my ability to learn and get experience (at least from my experience at Davis).

In selecting a future school it is a great idea to ask questions and be able to assess what you see. I would suggest making a list of the pros and cons of each school you are interested in. I did this in the beginning, but quickly came up with the conclusion that Davis and only Davis was for me. For example, when you visited CSU what was your initial gut feeling? Did they make you feel welcome, did you like the location, and did you get a chance to see the campus and veterinary teaching hospital. I would do a little research on the professors that teach there and find out which ones might specialize in Zoo/Wildlife medicine and contact them through email asking their opinion on CSU’s program for this specialty field. See what kind of research they are involved in, what zoo’s they may have affiliations with. For example, I know UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine works closely with the San Diego Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, San Francisco/Oakland zoo’s and Sea World to offer veterinary students specialized training with Zoo/Wildlife animals. We also do research in other countries. For example, a second year, Ryan Sadler, shares his experience working with Gorillas in Uganda: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ip/students/experiences/summer_2010/sadler.cfm

He was able to do this research project by getting funding from our international program and STAR program (students in advance research). UC Davis is also on the lead of the emerging “One Health” idea of grouping Human, Animal medicine, and environmental conservation under the same umbrella. So find out what programs your prospective schools have to offer and what funding they have available.

Also, consider what your class schedule will be like. Typically at every vet school, your first two years is primarily learning the basics (the book work) and learning mostly about dogs and cats with some species comparisons. Ask if the school is more traditional or offers a more case-based learning approach. I know that I am the last of the old traditional curriculum at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Next year the incoming class of 2015 is starting the new curriculum. I am excited but not at all jealous of the new curriculum. It poses a more case-based learning curriculum and switches from the quarter system to the semester system. Subjects will be grouped in blocks rather than having individual classes, there will be more time for students to work in small groups solving cases that pertain to class material rather than just being lectured at. There will be more focus on specializing in a certain kind of medicine during their 3^rd and 4^th years (like small animal OR wildlife OR equine, ect.) rather than allowing students to be able to track multiple types of medicine. So as I believe the new curriculum will have its advantages, I know the old one works just fine and Davis students have a high passing rate for Veterinary Licensing Exams (or Boards). I am confident in my education although I think the opportunity to have more case-based learning would be advantageous. I just don’t think I would want to be one of the first students in the new curriculum as I assume it will have some bumps along the way.

What it really comes down to is your personal opinion. Personally I can only give you my opinion based on my experiences. I encourage you to learn as much as you can about the school’s programs you are pursuing and weigh out the pros and cons of each as you make your decision. I hope I answered your questions and let me know if I can help you any more and good luck!

Top Ranked Schools:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/veterinarian-rankings