So. It's obviously a stressful time of year, especially for us first years since we're getting ready to go into our first year of crazy finals. But some people are driving me absolutely nuts with their pessimism.
Do I complain about some pointless/confusing stuff that we learn in class? Yes.
Do I complain about less-than-ideal lecturing styles? Yes.
Do I skip some classes because of this? Yes (but only recently - that end of semester trend, oops!)
But there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I want to be here and that I can handle it.
I've heard so many people complaining about the amount of work we have to do. Yes, we have 14 more assessments to go until the end of the year (eek!). But starting on March 30th we're done classes and we can set up camp in the library. I came from a university (not Guelph) that had next to no animal-specific courses. I've never learned any animal anatomy and anything clinical has come from my vet-related work and volunteering experiences. After applying twice to OVC and just narrowly getting in the second time, I'll admit I was a bit worried that I would come into this with no relevant background education and lower intelligence than the majority of the class. But instead I've shown myself that I have it within me to do this. I've learned all of anatomy from scratch and it's one of my favourite courses. It's actually amazing the amount of material we have learned, and my friends and family back home have even noticed it.
There are days where I wonder why I'm learning about how to critique journal articles, but then I go to the barn and learn how to do a physical exam on a horse and I remember why I'm here. OVC has a 97% NAVLE (vet licensing exam) pass rate and the curriculum wouldn't still exist if it wasn't successful. We just have to get past first year, which is known for teaching all of those sometimes boring but also essential things - cardiology, neurology, anatomy, genetics...
As for exam stress, I understand that there are people with learning/test-taking issues as well as mental health concerns and that is fine. It's the people that complain 24/7 and honestly don't seem to want to be here that bother me. Go home.
If I've learned one life lesson during my almost 7 months here, it's that professional programs are only successful if you have that internal desire to learn. I have friends in master's programs that have told me you'll hate your life if you're not researching something you're interested in, and I can definitely understand that now.
I hate girls that live by quotes (live your own lives instead of by someone else's words), but the only quote that I love is "dreams don't work unless you do". Sit down, shut up, and study.
I've had times in undergrad where I felt 100x more stressed than I am now, because back then it was all about getting the marks to get into vet school. I can't let myself not do well now (hello Type A personality), but there's much less pressure. I'm just going to live in the library and study the way I have been all year - taking it one test at a time and savouring those moments that make me realize I'm actually on my way to becoming what I've wanted to be for as long as I can remember.
14 more tests until I'm 25% of a vet!
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| The tattoo I got when I got into vet school :) |
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