I know I want to be a veterinarian, now tell me what I REALLY have to do to make it.

So you've made the decision to try and pursue a career in veterinary medicine. What does it really take to be accepted to a veterinary school? Certainly, you need good grades in a recognized undergraduate program. It used to be that all veterinary applicants studied the sciences in their pre-veterinary programs. Because I was a city boy, I majored in Animal Science to broaden my background in preparation for veterinary school. But things have changed a bit. As long as you achieve good marks, and take the pre-requisite science courses required by all veterinary colleges, it does not matter what your major course of study is. You can receive a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Veterinary colleges are looking for well-rounded individuals who know what the world is all about.

Be sure, however, to contact the veterinary colleges you may be considering and get a list of the courses they require for admission. Most of them have very similar requirements.

Grades are very important, but they are not all that matters. Real life experience is something that is critical for admittance to veterinary school. The admittance committees take a particularly close look at your veterinary experience. They want to see that you have worked in a veterinary office, lived or worked on a farm, participated in research, volunteered at the zoo,etc.. When you work at these places, you will make contact with veterinarians who will get to know you and hopefully write you a letters of recommendation. These letters from veterinarians in the field, who live and breath veterinary medicine each day, weigh very heavily in the eyes of the admittance committees. They want to know from their colleagues that you have what it takes to become a proud member of the veterinary community.

All these factors are given equal attention. If you have good grades, but no experience, others will overshadow you. If you grew up on a farm around animals all your life but are a poor student, the veterinary schools will be concerned about your ability to grasp all there is to learn.

So find a balance in these areas. Veterinarians do work with animals, but it is a real people business. Each patient comes with a concerned owner who you need to be able to communicate with, have empathy and compassion for, and help solve the problem they have brought to you. As in most challenging professions, problem solving is really what it's all about.

As always, I'm happy to help your pets...and their people, too.

Dr. Larry

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