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Graduation Time

I can’t believe I’m graduating! 

Honestly, it really hasn’t hit me yet; I’ve taken graduation pictures and have posted them, but still, I don’t feel that I am graduating. Maybe it’s because right now, I am so preoccupied with finals. 

I think it is ironic that this fall, the Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) graduation falls on Friday, Dec. 13. What makes this day even more spooky is that the graduation is happening at night! I wonder whose great idea it was to do that. 

The only downside about graduating early is that I will have to play the waiting game. Currently, I am applying to multiple veterinary schools, and I do not yet know whether I even qualify for an interview. 

For those not familiar with the veterinary school application process, I like to say there is equivalent to three parts to the process. The first part is actually applying, where you’re filling out your coursework and experiences. If the school likes your application, they can invite you to an interview; these interviews don’t happen until December to February, depending on the veterinary school. 

After the interview, the school will let you know whether you have been accepted, which usually happens between January and March, again, depending on the school. 

Waiting so long is anxiety-inducing, but during these upcoming months, I have made plans to keep me occupied. 

During December to March, I hope to work part-time at the same animal clinic that I have been working at for the past few years. 

From March to April, I hope to travel to Japan and South Korea! Since I am waiting on veterinary school interviews to be scheduled, I haven’t yet purchased tickets for either of these countries; however, I do know that I want to travel during those months so if not Japan and South Korea, I may choose to go to Thailand and Vietnam instead.

For May to August, I have two different plans, depending on the outcome of a summer internship I’ve applied for. If I get the summer internship in Sacramento, I will head to California for the summer, which is great and ideal because my whole family lives in Sacramento. If I do not receive the internship, I will continue working at my clinic. 

All of this, of course, is second to getting accepted to a veterinary school, so wish me luck!

Being Thankful

Wow! This semester has flown by! It seems like we just began! As things wrap up, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to say some things I’m thankful for.

First, I’m thankful for the opportunity to be here at Texas A&M in the veterinary school. At this time last year, I was hoping, wishing, and praying to be in the position I’m in now. I couldn’t imagine being at any other veterinary school and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow in the veterinary field.

Second, I’m thankful for my friends and family, who are so supportive of me and my journey to becoming a veterinarian.This semester hasn’t been the easiest because my husband is in medical school in Lubbock, but he has shown so much support of me being here and chasing my dream. My parents tell me daily that they love me and are so proud of me, even when I’m not proud of myself and I’m disappointed in my performance on a test.

I’m thankful for the friends I made during undergraduate career who became the sisters I never had.

Third, I’m thankful for the group of friends that I have made here in my class. They have made me laugh when I’ve wanted to cry and are the only people who truly understand the rigor of the veterinary program.

Finally, I’m thankful for my pups who keep me less stressed and begrudgingly let me practice my physical exam and palpation skills. So many people have contributed to making my first semester of veterinary school the best that it can be—I have a lot to be thankful for.

Looking Toward the Future

I am now about 10 weeks into my third year of veterinary school.

 

Although it has only been a few years, when I think back to when I was dreaming and praying that I’d get accepted into my dream veterinary school (Texas A&M, whoop!), it feels like a lifetime ago. Now, in a few short months, I will be entering my yearlong clinical rotations as a fourth-year student—and it feels surreal. It’s also a little scary because it’s a reminder that the future is fast approaching.

 

Since the beginning of this semester, our professors have felt the need to sprinkle in little reminders every once in a while by saying things like, “In about a year and seven months, you will be the doctor making the decision on this case. So, what will you do for this patient?”

 

Usually, one brave student will speak up and answer the professor’s question, while the rest of us stare at her with wide, caught-off-guard eyes all because she said the words “you will be the doctor.” It feels odd to be scared of the dream that I’ve been chasing and working toward for all of this time.

It really seems like just yesterday that I was buried deep in my anatomy book, and now all of the sudden, I’m spending hours working on my resume and looking up externships/post-graduation job opportunities. There has also been a dramatic shift in the types of courses we’re taking this semester. During the first two years of our curriculum, we focused on learning and memorizing the basics and the foundation of veterinary medicine. We took classes like anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology.

Now, in our classes—like Small Animal/Large Animal Diagnostics and Treatment—and our selected career-focused tracks, we have moved onto applying that foundational knowledge to recognize, diagnose, and treat diseases. In addition, now, we’re given with cases of how a patient might present, and we have to determine what diagnostics we might want to run or what our treatment plan might look like. Slowly, but surely, we’re learning how to think like doctors.

It’s a new kind of stress that makes me excited because I’m getting closer to becoming a veterinarian and caring for animals.Thinking about finally reaching that goal after years of hard work makes looking toward the future a little less frightening.

Finding Extracurriculars During Vet School

Before starting at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, I knew that it was going to be important for me to have a life outside of class because I easily get so hyper-focused on my academic obligations that I get burned out.

 

Extracurriculars were my plan to keep myself energized. I knew that there would be clubs for students to join and outside activities for us to get involved in, but I never could have imagined how many options we would have.

 

On the first day of orientation, we were presented with over two-dozen student clubs that we could join. These clubs ranged from Cat Club to Internal Medicine to Green Vets to the Veterinary Medicine Business Association.

 

Outside of these clubs there were a lot of events for us to attend, including a CVM BBQ, a mentor-mentee taco dinner, and a Calf-Fry with live music. I quickly learned that there is definitely no shortage of ways for me to be engaged with my classmates outside of class.

 

I have also always been someone who relieves stress through physical activity. As an undergraduate, I did this through intramural sports, so I wanted to find this in the veterinary school as well.

 

To do this, I decided to run for and was elected to be one of the Health and Wellness Representatives for my class. One of my responsibilities in this job is to organize intramural teams, and I am excited to say that we will be playing sand volleyball, flag football, and ultimate frisbee this semester!

 

The first few weeks of veterinary school have definitely been stressful, but having all of these exciting opportunities outside of class has made it so much more fun.

Being Accepted into Vet School

Carter M.It is official: I have been accepted to the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine!

I am so overwhelmingly excited to be a part of the class of 2022. Come this May, I will be graduating with a degree in biomedical sciences and then in August I will start vet school.

I am excited to be graduating, but at the same time, I am not all that focused on it. For a lot of people, graduation is the end of it, but for me, I graduate and then move on to more schooling.

I think that on graduation day I will be really excited because all of my friends and family will be here celebrating. Up until then, though, vet school is really what is on my mind.

I was so happy when I found out I had been accepted, but then I had the realization of, “wow, I really have to do this now.” It has not even started yet and my mind is filled with so many different questions. I constantly think about what it is going to be like and if I am going to be able to handle it.

At the end of the day, I turn my focus back to the here and now. My main focus right now is learning as much as I can about physiology.

In going forward, I just focus on the fact that I have conquered a lot in my undergraduate years and I will continue to do what it takes to be successful.