Exams
Vet School is in general a pretty broad experience. There is good, bad and everything in the middle. But if there ever was a time when I cursed my high-achieving and perfectionist backside, it was during exam fun! I was the kind of person that’s probably very annoying because I’d study hard but with my demanding self would always think it wasn’t enough. So I’d go to exams with that mindset “well, I’m probably going to fail,but might as well try”. Despite this I only failed one exam on my first try (and it was a Food Safety related course). But the fear was always there. Fear I wouldn’t be able to ever pass the exam, I would never graduate, I would never be a vet. I used to get very nervous, and for a long time after I used to think I was able to pass the exams because I was lucky. I would get above average grades and dismiss it as not really enough. Once in secondary school I aced my maths exam, and I remember thinking, “Well, this either is going to be a great one or I misunderstood every single question”.
So, guess what Vet School is full of? Exams. I used to be so jealous of all of my friends that had 3-4 exams per semester while I was usually in the two digits range. It took me a couple of years, but around final year I stopped being unreasonably nervous about exams. I stopped imagining worst case scenarios that would be very unlikely (”I’m never going to pass this one”), and started thinking about it more logically. “Ok, so what’s the worst it can happen? You have to take it again. You get another chance to improve your skills and to learn more. You will probably feel more calm about this, when you finally use this in real life.” Suddenly failing wasn’t the worst option.
It might be weird. I still get a bit nervous when I have to take an exam. But the normal alert and impatient nervous, not panicking and nerve–racking kind. Took me a while to get there, but the lesson of the “bigger picture” and realistic view of every challenging moment in life was invaluable. And vet school taught me that.
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Vet School Lessons series:
1 - Vet school in a nutshell
2 - Exams

















