Instant Friendship in Veterinary School

I have recently started my four-year long journey toward achieving my dream of being
a feline specialty veterinarian.

Starting veterinary school is a lot like starting kindergarten: it’s a completely new experience, you miss your mom, you REALLY want a nap, and everyone starts to ask you “Did you make new friends?”

But I have good news for you—just like in kindergarten, making friends in veterinary school is as simple as saying “Do you want to be friends?”

Part of starting veterinary school was understanding that every one of my 161 classmates feels just like I do: nervous, excited, and eager to make new friends.

Luckily, we get sorted into so many smaller groups of students that it is so easy to get to know people! We have our student mentor groups, our anatomy lab groups, our physiology lab groups, and even histology lab groups.

The administration sorts us based on our animal experience and background, so each small group has a diverse amount of experience. This means that I have met so many new people who grew up different areas, see the world in different ways, and have differing personalities, but we’re all bonded by our passion and love of veterinary medicine.

Not only is everyone eager to be friends, but everyone has fully embraced the family mentality. Starting veterinary school has given me an extended family filled with loving, supportive people.

For instance, I am somewhat nervous about working with horses. When I expressed this nervousness, several people immediately offered to give me tips for working around horses. In return, I can help them learn about cat behavior!

We are truly all in this together, here to lift each other up and help each other succeed.

I am so honored to be a student in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and I know I am about to experience the best four years of my life surrounded by the best people in the world.

Preparing for the New Class

I have the honor of serving as the vice president of my veterinary school class and part of my job is to facilitate the mentor/mentee program that pairs second-year mentors with incoming first-year students.

Now that interviews have passed and acceptances are looming, I have begun planning for how to implement this program next year. I have a stellar committee of my peers who are excited to help make this program the best it can possibly be for the incoming students.

Here at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, we are a family and we want to ensure that first-year students feel welcome.

The first year of veterinary school is hard—it is different than anything most people have ever experienced. Having a mentor to answer questions, give study tips, grab dinner with, and just to be there and help you through the hard times really makes a difference. I have an incredible mentor who helped me adjust to vet school and continues to answer questions and just serve as friendly face in the second-year class.

This is similar to the relationship that any people seek after veterinary school. Most new graduates lack self-confidence in some of the skills and want guidance as they build that confidence in practice; they seek employment opportunities that provide helpful mentorship from someone who has already been in that situation—a seasoned veterinarian.

Here, we want to mimic this type of mentorship by providing first-year students with older vet student mentors.

The mentor/mentee committee is working hard to pair our classmates with interested first-year students. We try our best to pair students with similar career interests, hobbies, and personalities to create successful mentor/mentee pairs that can blossom into friendships.

This is no small feat and requires a great deal of time and thought from every member of the committee.

We are also planning an awesome cookout to welcome new students and help introduce them to their mentors, as well as a few other ideas in the works…but I can’t spoil the surprise!

We will continue to be hard at work throughout the summer, along with many other student organizations, in order to welcome the new class. So, Class of 2023, we cannot wait to meet each of you and we are excited to welcome you to the family!