becoming a veterinarian?

Question

I absolutely love animals(obv.) and wish to work with them as a career so I wind up doing something I enjoy in the end. Right now I'm leaning towards becoming a vet but I'm not sure what steps I need to take to reach that goal. I'm in my sophmore year at high school and I'm doing very well, espeically in math and science (averages are around 97, 94) but I'm not in any honors/ap classes and I'm afraid that will be a huge step back regarding getting into good colleges. I feel like I should excel in regular classes as opposed to doing poorly in advanced classes. Any advice as to what colleges and what ever else I need to do would really be appreciated, thanks :) (I live in new york so some where kind of close!)

Answer 1

vet schools tend to look at ur classes as a whole .ur taking the right courses now, math/science. if u feel u'd be a better candiate if u took advanced courses, sign up for a few at a local community college, then move on to a university. i promise u it'll look just as good on ur resume' if u take it at a college. ur grades are certainly more than adequate, so that's what they'll tend to look at. have u considered taking/have u taken ag science? that might not hurt. good luck!! p.s. be sure to try and get a high score on ur SATS and ACT. they look at those too. but u prolly already knew that.

Answer 2

Becoming a veterinarian is likened to become a doctor. You will need to hone up on and become good at biology, science, book keeping, animal pharmaceuticals, math, and try to get experience by volunteering at a veterinarians office or dog pound.

It might help to decide which animals you would like to specialize in. There are large animal vet's, small animal vets, bird vets, wild animal vets, and reptile and ocean animal vets. This way you can find out exactly what you will need to excel in as far as studies go.

Contact colleges that teach veterinarian medicine. Find out what you will need to learn and study, how many years it will take, what specialty areas they can help you with, and so forth.
Good luck!

Answer 3

It would also be helpful for you to volunteer with animal-related groups, like your local SPCA. Maybe even volunteer at your local vet hospital; they may end up hiring you on a part-time basis. Any animal-related business will do, is there a horse farm nearby? You would learn so much from observing that vet school could be somewhat easier. Vets schools, like med schools, prefer students who have a well-rounded life, not just good grades.

Vet schools are expensive and there are few of them (less than 30 in US-none in NY) so very competitive. There are only three in northeast US, one being Cornell.

I can suggest Mississippi State University. They have a great vet school. Their vet school tuition is about $15,000/year for out-of-state students.
Go to their web page and you will see a check list for the courses you should have in high school in order to qualify.
Good luck in your career choice.