As cliché as it may sound, I have always wanted to be a veterinarian. For as long as I can remember, that is what I dreamed of becoming when I grew up. Because of that, I have also known for a long time how challenging and competitive it is to be accepted into Vet School, and therefore how stressful it can be to be a pre-vet student. I know what it's like to second guess yourself and wonder if all of the stress and late nights and hard classes are worth it. To the pre-vet student going through these same struggles, I'm right there with you, and I truly believe that one day it will all be worth it.

It will be worth it the day you get your acceptance letter, and you can finally see the beginning of your dreams coming to reality. Every late night spent studying for that test you were sure you would fail anyways will have paid off. Every event you gave up with your friends to spend making yourself more competitive for your application will have made sense. When you know you've accomplished something very few have accomplished, it will be worth it.

It will be worth it when you perform your first basic checkup on an animal, and you ensure that that animal is healthy enough to continue living for another year until the next checkup. It will also be worth it the first time you save an animal from dying, and your skills are all that is available to keep the animal alive, and when you pull it off, you'll be giving the animal more time to live on this beautiful planet.

It will be worth it when you have to put an animal asleep the first time, because even though it definitely isn't the highlight of your career, by giving an animal a peaceful and painless death, you are giving that animal the utmost respect in the last moments of its life, which is a beautiful thing.

It will be worth it every day for the rest of your life that you spend practicing veterinary medicine. You never know what each day will bring, but you know that each day will be rewarding in its own way because you are making the lives of animals better, and in turn, making the lives of the humans that love them better as well.

So to all my fellow pre-vet students- for every challenge that comes your way, whether it be a test, a teacher, a class, or a sudden freak-out about your major, remember that one day it will all be worth it.