I made it to vet school and it is amazing! It’s not quite what I was expecting. I felt like freshman year all over again but on a professional scale, if you get what I’m trying to say. There was all the excitement of making new friends, meeting new people and tons of activities and clubs and agendas. Don’t even mention the classes. Now, normally freshman year you start out with the syllabus, and that will be class. In some cases you have a teacher who jumps right into lecture - I always loved those teachers by the way - and you could come to class in whatever you wanted be it pajamas, jeans and sneakers, or little to nothing at all if that was your purgative, though I’m pretty sure you would have been kicked out immediately. But hey, whatever floats your boat. Not the case in vet school, we started off strong right from the bat. Classes every day from 8 am to 4 pm straight. No breaks really except lunch or if the professors saw most of the class with empty eyes and drooling mouths from information overload.

I can distinctly compare and contrast the differences between vet school and undergrad. My undergrad campus was smaller, classes switched, every other day and you felt like you got a break from the monotonous voice of your teachers. I knew a lot more people in undergrad and had a lot more free time. I could wear whatever I felt like throwing on at 8 in the morning or even decide if I wanted to go to class at all. Vet school is so much different than undergrad. The campus is so much bigger and there are a ton of people that you will never know because you basically live in one building and that is the building where you have classes. Oh, we get up for class at 5-6 in the morning because we no longer live on campus and it’s not a short walk away. Oh no, you have to drive 20-30 minutes to campus. This is vet school so most of my classmates have pets, and kids, and spouses, and partners, so you need time to handle all morning routines before you yourself gets out the door. Classes are hours long and 30 minutes into to class you want to go to sleep, or you zone out because while you remember somethings from undergrad, there is so much more to know and you’re overwhelmed and you need a break from the constant cycle of power points. Anyway, basically in vet school you lose a social life, and in return you get classes, no sleep, and HOURS upon HOURS of studying. I’m talking you start studying at 4 when you finish classes and you don’t stop studying until midnight or later and that is all for one class, only one class.

Now don’t get me wrong, it might sound like I’m complaining but I’m not. But I needed to show you the difference from what you know, and what could be you’re future. Hopefully, you will take something from this and use it to your advantage because 1) it is a culture shock not only from differences in school but in environment, people, and being so far from what you know 2) It’s so much information and you are still adjusting to your new life and it’s been almost a month and 3) you won’t even care because you have accomplished your dreams and you are still riding that wave of "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD I can’t believe I’m here!" You take the good with the slightly less good because you are finally doing what you love, and have always wanted to do, and you could not be more proud of yourself. So all in all, vet school is amazing and overwhelming and exciting and a LOT (I really don’t think you all understand the meaning of this word right now but you will) but I mean a LOT of hard work. You will have to push yourself past all limits and not just your own. You will develop and manage lifelong relationships, and it will be the worst and best time of your life. Take it from me. Also, don’t forget to look back and say thanks to everyone who stood behind you and helped get to where you are because whether they were in for a nickel or in for a penny they were there.

Good luck!