the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
Wouldnt it make it awfully tough to get into Vet School if you didn't have Animal Science as a major? I've been checking into A & M for Lil Lilly, and from what I understand you can go thru A & M Animal Science or Ag Science program and still not be excepted....it's almost like "luck of the draw" Yes there are a few that are excepted into the vet program after 2 years, the man I talked to did say that, but it's not the norm.
Thank goodness she's NOT planning on goin to A&M for the first 4 years tho. whewwwww...she's gonna go to Sul Ross.
Lilly:
Sadly in the past two decades, probably the majority of students admitted into Vet. Schools HAVE NOT had degrees in any ag. related major much less animal science. Many are biology or microbiology majors. This is one of the major reasons there is a huge shortage of large animal (meaning food producing, not those in equine specialities) vets.
I have friends (mostly male) who were in the top of our class, did well on GRE, etc., and were not admitted, even after the second time of applying because they did not have a 4.0 gpa with three or four majors. They had lots of extracurricular activities, were both "street" and "book" smart. They said to heck with it and went into grad school, where, the majority of their tuition and books were paid, and they even received a small stipend, rather than come out of vet school hundreds of thousands in debt.
That said, the tide seems to be kind of turning---vet schools seem to have received the wake up call, that there is a dire shortage of vets willing to practice in large animal/mixed practice or even specialize in medicine of food producing animals.
We ultrasounded our heifers yesterday, and I am proud to say the vet. who came, Dr. Kristi, works in a clinic with one other vet., and all they do is large animal work, and at that mostly cattle, with a few "ranch" horses. They are doing very well, and both she and Dr. Pat are under 35!!! When they are really busy they call in a couple of older vets who are semi-retired to help out.
Vet school is expensive to say the least, and unless we as clients in the livestock world are willing to pay for services, it might be hard to get a vet to come into our communities. It takes a special person to be on call 24-7, live along ways, in most cases, from a metro type area, and it's also hard for their spouses to find jobs. Sadly, this is not only an issue of who's been admitted to vet school, but of economics after they graduate. I know of several vet. students who are taking the equine track in vet school, in hopes of offsetting their cattle business with a higher returning equine business.
Cheers---
TTB :wink: