An Open Letter to First Year Veterinary Students- What to Expect and How to Succeed in Vet School
The first year of vet school is filled with uncertainty, doubt, tears, terror, and little sleep. You don’t know what to do, you don’t know how to study, and you don’t know just how you will learn it all. Even though it doesn’t seem like it, these feelings are all “normal” to feel as a vet student, which you will find out as you trek through your first day, week, semester, and year of vet school. Since vet school can seem (and can be) so overwhelming, I’ve compiled a list of tips to hopefully give you a glimpse into what vet school is like, and to hopefully help you manage this daunting first year.
Vet School is a balancing act. Like a juggler in the circus, as a vet student you will be balancing several things all at once. 35+ hours of class, social life, studying, bills, family, exercise, maybe a job, exams, and other life things will all be up in the air, with you fervently trying to catch them each time they try to fall. At first, you might not be very good at juggling, or you think you’re fine until a few more things are added and then you realize that a few come crashing down. This is OKAY. I promise you that you can pick them up, and start over again. Even if that crystal ball that is vet school shatters all over the floor, you can gather the pieces and begin again. You will also find that in time it gets a little bit more manageable as you establish a routine, though you might always find juggling hard, and that’s alright. Just take things one day, one exam, and one class at a time, and you might find that you’re better at juggling than you think you are.
Learn how you study. When you begin vet school, the constant influx of information is paired with the constant worrying of how to study. There’s SO much in SO little time, and you quickly realize that those studying habits that worked in undergrad may not work in vet school. You will be absolutely bombarded with study techniques from the upper years, which can be just as overwhelming as the material itself. The biggest thing I found was to find how you study, and build a foundation from there. Are you a visual learner? Then grab a whiteboard and draw, draw, draw, draw. Write it out, write it out, and then write it out again. Make pictures. Are you an auditory learner? Then listen to the lecture, or try to teach yourself out-loud. Finding out how I learn, and these two simple tips helped me pass first year: 1) Make your studying ACTIVE. It’s not about QUANTITY, it’s about QUALITY. DON’T READ POWERPOINTS PASSIVELY. Instead, draw pathways out without looking. Draw pictures to tie concepts together. Think of mnemonics. Teach your dog the lesson. Just DON’T passively learn, because even though it might have worked in undergrad, time constraints may prevent it from working in vet school. 2) Even if it’s just reviewing the lectures from the day, try to study at least a little every day. It may not seem like a lot, but when you have 3 exams in 2 days, you will be grateful for the constant studying.
Check yourself before you wreck yourself. There may be a time in vet school when you sense yourself slipping. You might get a D on a quiz, or you might go to anatomy lab and you just KNOW that you are not prepared for that upcoming anatomy exam. If that’s the case- REACH OUT TO SOMEONE. No one is going to belittle you for asking for help. Most (if not all) vet schools have a wonderful support system in place for people who need academic help. USE IT. Email a professor. Text your second year buddy. Talk to your classmates. Hire a tutor. I know vet school is overwhelming, but we are there for you, all you have to do is reach out and we will catch you as you fall.
It’s okay to fail. Ever since we were little, most vet students have been overachievers, and are used to academic success. However, when vet school hits, a lot of A students suddenly becomes C students. It’s not complicated material per say… it’s the VOLUME of information. It’s like trying to drink this information from a firehose. Sometimes your A in undergrad turns into a B or C in vet school. You study every night and you still may not be good enough. BUT. It’s okay to not know all the answers. It’s okay to not get an A. It’s okay to fail an exam. Failing an exam DOES NOT make you a failure. You will NOT be less of a vet because you fail your first microanatomy exam. You will NOT be less of a vet because you got a few Cs. In fact, they wouldn’t let you graduate if a C wasn’t good enough. Say it with me- You will become a competent veterinarian as long as you pass.
Welcome back to high school. When you are in the same classes with the same 100+ people for 10+ hours a day, there’s going to be a little drama. There’s going to be cliques, you might have a lunchbox, there will probably be lockers, and sometimes you get scolded like a first grader. Sometimes, it feels like time is reversed instead of accelerated. However, with the drama there will be cohesiveness. The competitiveness that was the core of undergrad will mostly vanish. You will likely become a member of a large “dysfunctional” family, who likes to party after anatomy exams and share study guides for physio exams. So welcome to high school, and welcome to your vet school family.
Make time for yourself. Sometimes, when you are knee deep in vet school, you kinda let yourself go a little. You sacrifice everything for that grade… but as someone who did that exact same thing… it’s not worth it. Your mental health is important. In fact, your mental health is REALLY important, and as such you need to give yourself some “me” time. Take that Friday night off. Go for a sweaty run. Drink some wine. Read a book. Just get away from school for a few hours a week. I know it seems silly, but I promise you that your future intact sanity will thank you.
And lastly- Buckle up, and enjoy this crazy ride!
