4 answers
Maddie
Student
Sheffield, Massachusetts
2
Questions
Asked
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How can I shorten the amount of years I have to go to school to become a veterinarian
I love animals and I want to become a mobile big animal vet in Texas. My dream school is Texas A&M. #veterinary-medicine
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4 answers
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1662
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hi Maddie!
Welcome to Texas!
I know right now it seems like it will be forever before you are actually practicing veterinary medicine, but, I implore you, please slow down, and absorb as much as you can on your way to that goal! I rushed through high school, and have regretted it ever since.
If your school or county has an FFA program, get into it. There you will learn about feed, meat judging, use of antibiotics in food chain, etc etc etc. Don't wait till you get to vet school to start learning! My son was in FFA and had a really good looking hog, and shortly before show, started passing blood. We learned a lot that year! Learn to drive a standard transmission, how to get out of the mud if you get stuck, and a little welding. You are going to be driving to places on things you would never guess were roads, in some of the worst weather you've ever seen. Something about thunderstorms seems to make cows give birth.
In college, learn all you can about cellular biology and things like that. Vets have to know everything about everything! Learn public speaking. You never know when your career will take you to a level that you are presenting at conferences. Learn some financial management skills, in case you decide to start your own practice. Get involved in Ag related activities. Get good grades. As you know, Texas A&M is extremely competitive.
As a Massachusetts native myself, we'd be happy to have you down here!
I'm sorry I didn't answer your question!
Kim
Welcome to Texas!
I know right now it seems like it will be forever before you are actually practicing veterinary medicine, but, I implore you, please slow down, and absorb as much as you can on your way to that goal! I rushed through high school, and have regretted it ever since.
If your school or county has an FFA program, get into it. There you will learn about feed, meat judging, use of antibiotics in food chain, etc etc etc. Don't wait till you get to vet school to start learning! My son was in FFA and had a really good looking hog, and shortly before show, started passing blood. We learned a lot that year! Learn to drive a standard transmission, how to get out of the mud if you get stuck, and a little welding. You are going to be driving to places on things you would never guess were roads, in some of the worst weather you've ever seen. Something about thunderstorms seems to make cows give birth.
In college, learn all you can about cellular biology and things like that. Vets have to know everything about everything! Learn public speaking. You never know when your career will take you to a level that you are presenting at conferences. Learn some financial management skills, in case you decide to start your own practice. Get involved in Ag related activities. Get good grades. As you know, Texas A&M is extremely competitive.
As a Massachusetts native myself, we'd be happy to have you down here!
I'm sorry I didn't answer your question!
Kim
Thank you so much for everything you said. I am very excited to see where this road takes me
Maddie
Katherine Colburn
Civil Engineer
15
Answers
Ogden, Utah
Updated
Katherine’s Answer
Maddie,
Hello! Unfortunately, I am going to be the bearer of bad news: there is no way to shorten the number of years you'll spend learning to be a veterinarian.
Earning a D.V.M. is just as time-consuming as going to medical school to practice on humans. If time is an issue, consider interning in local veterinary clinics and large animal practices to get work experience.
Most vet med programs will not even admit people who do not have recommendations from practicing veterinarians. You will also need excellent grades in college and a Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution before embarking on the journey to apply to get into one of the small number of places available at vet schools.
While this can be a rewarding career path, it is not for the faint of heart!
Hello! Unfortunately, I am going to be the bearer of bad news: there is no way to shorten the number of years you'll spend learning to be a veterinarian.
Earning a D.V.M. is just as time-consuming as going to medical school to practice on humans. If time is an issue, consider interning in local veterinary clinics and large animal practices to get work experience.
Most vet med programs will not even admit people who do not have recommendations from practicing veterinarians. You will also need excellent grades in college and a Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution before embarking on the journey to apply to get into one of the small number of places available at vet schools.
While this can be a rewarding career path, it is not for the faint of heart!
Thank you so much for your answer. It was very helpful for me
Maddie
Michael Wojcikiewicz
Internal Audit Intern
4
Answers
Cumberland, Rhode Island
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hello Maddie:
I think attempting to shorten the amount of time you spend in college is a great goal and I was in a similar position to you. My first piece of advice would be to take advantage of AP (Advanced Placement) courses if your current school offers them. During high school, I took several AP courses and found that they can be transferred to most colleges depending on your performance on the AP exams (when I was in school you typically needed to score a 3 or higher for the AP credit to be transferable). The AP courses that you take do not necessarily have to be aligned with your career goals (i.e. you could go with AP Stats and it may enable you to skip taking the Intro to Stats class that A&M may require).
If your school has a limited AP selection, I would search to see if you could take EEP (Early Enrollment Program) courses that are offered by a select number of community colleges which are similar to AP courses and are typically transferable depending on the grade you receive in the course.
Finally, you could always take winter or summer courses while in college that can help you get ahead on some of the courses you would normally take in the Fall and Spring Semesters.
It is definitely not easy to try to graduate college early but it is achievable if you put in the work and take advantage of some of these options. Hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!
Michael Wojcikiewicz
I think attempting to shorten the amount of time you spend in college is a great goal and I was in a similar position to you. My first piece of advice would be to take advantage of AP (Advanced Placement) courses if your current school offers them. During high school, I took several AP courses and found that they can be transferred to most colleges depending on your performance on the AP exams (when I was in school you typically needed to score a 3 or higher for the AP credit to be transferable). The AP courses that you take do not necessarily have to be aligned with your career goals (i.e. you could go with AP Stats and it may enable you to skip taking the Intro to Stats class that A&M may require).
If your school has a limited AP selection, I would search to see if you could take EEP (Early Enrollment Program) courses that are offered by a select number of community colleges which are similar to AP courses and are typically transferable depending on the grade you receive in the course.
Finally, you could always take winter or summer courses while in college that can help you get ahead on some of the courses you would normally take in the Fall and Spring Semesters.
It is definitely not easy to try to graduate college early but it is achievable if you put in the work and take advantage of some of these options. Hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!
Michael Wojcikiewicz
Kuei-Ti Lu
Engineer
10
Answers
Vancouver, Washington
Updated
Kuei-Ti’s Answer
For the undergraduate part, depending on the college/university you might attend, there might be ways.
The first step is to identify the major(s) you have to complete to get into the veterinarian school(s) you'll apply for after undergraduate.
The next step is to find what courses are needed to complete the program you identified. For example, Texas A&M's Biomedical Sciences' curriculum can be found at http://vetmed.tamu.edu/bims/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2019/04/Degree-Plan-201931.pdf
Finally, try these:
1. Check whether the college/university you might attend accepts CLEP results, which subjects of CLEP are accepted, what scores are needed for them to be accepted, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified.
For example, Texas A&M has this table: https://testing.tamu.edu/TestingServices/media/Media/PDFs/CLEP-Credit.pdf
As shown in the table, if you get at least a score of 50 in CLEP Chemistry, you can use the result to get equivalent credits for CHEM 119 and CHEM 120 so that you won't need to take those two courses.
Check whether the college/university accepts only results of CLEP taken before you attend the college/university to plan when to take the exam(s). Also, remember to follow the college/university's process of getting the credits.
2. Check whether the college/university you might attend accepts AP exam results, which subjects of AP exams are accepted, what scores are needed for them to be accepted, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified.
For example, Texas A&M has this table: https://web-as.tamu.edu/ecardimages/publications/testing/AP_052219.pdf
As shown in the table, if you get at least a score of 4 in the AP Biology exam, you can use the result to get equivalent credits for BIOL 111 and BIOL 112 so that you won't need to take those two courses.
Check whether the college/university accepts only results of AP taken before you attend the college/university to plan when to take the exam(s). Also, remember to follow the college/university's process of getting the credits.
Note that you don't need to take AP classes to take AP exams, and there are free online courses that can help prepare you for AP exams (you can find some on https://www.classcentral.com/search?q=ap ).
Note that you have to take AP exams to have the possibility of getting the equivalent college credits. Taking AP classes without taking AP exams doesn't work.
3. Take advantage of another institution. Some colleges/universities accept transferred credits from another institution, so it's possible to take courses at another institution if the courses aren't available at your own college/university in the semester/quarter you want to take the courses. You can even do so in a summer semester/quarter before you attend your real college/university. Check what institutions' credits can be transferred, what are their equivalent courses at your college/university, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified.
For example, Texas A&M provides a tool to check for transferrable courses: https://compassxe-ssb.tamu.edu/HCA/ssb/transferCourseEquivalency/#/crse
Using the tool, one can find that Alvin Community College's PHYS 1401 - GENERAL PHYSICS I [4] can be transferred as the equivalent of Texas A&M's PHYS 201.
Remember to follow the college/university's process of transferring the credits.
By planning when/where to take what courses, you might be able to shorten the number of years needed to graduate from the undergraduate program.
-----
For the graduate part, you can't, as far as I know. The programs I know all require four years.
Identify the major(s) you have to complete to get into the veterinarian school(s) you'll apply for after undergraduate.
Find what courses are needed to complete the program you identified.
Check whether the college/university you might attend accepts CLEP results, which subjects of CLEP are accepted, what scores are needed for them to be accepted, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified. If applicable, take the exam(s) and follow the college/university's process of getting the credits.
Check whether the college/university you might attend accepts AP exam results, which subjects of AP exams are accepted, what scores are needed for them to be accepted, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified. If applicable, take the exam(s) and follow the college/university's process of getting the credits.
Check what institutions' credits can be transferred to the college/university you want to attend, what are their equivalent courses at the college/university you want to attend, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified. If applicable, take the courses and follow the college/university's process of getting the credits.
The first step is to identify the major(s) you have to complete to get into the veterinarian school(s) you'll apply for after undergraduate.
The next step is to find what courses are needed to complete the program you identified. For example, Texas A&M's Biomedical Sciences' curriculum can be found at http://vetmed.tamu.edu/bims/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2019/04/Degree-Plan-201931.pdf
Finally, try these:
1. Check whether the college/university you might attend accepts CLEP results, which subjects of CLEP are accepted, what scores are needed for them to be accepted, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified.
For example, Texas A&M has this table: https://testing.tamu.edu/TestingServices/media/Media/PDFs/CLEP-Credit.pdf
As shown in the table, if you get at least a score of 50 in CLEP Chemistry, you can use the result to get equivalent credits for CHEM 119 and CHEM 120 so that you won't need to take those two courses.
Check whether the college/university accepts only results of CLEP taken before you attend the college/university to plan when to take the exam(s). Also, remember to follow the college/university's process of getting the credits.
2. Check whether the college/university you might attend accepts AP exam results, which subjects of AP exams are accepted, what scores are needed for them to be accepted, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified.
For example, Texas A&M has this table: https://web-as.tamu.edu/ecardimages/publications/testing/AP_052219.pdf
As shown in the table, if you get at least a score of 4 in the AP Biology exam, you can use the result to get equivalent credits for BIOL 111 and BIOL 112 so that you won't need to take those two courses.
Check whether the college/university accepts only results of AP taken before you attend the college/university to plan when to take the exam(s). Also, remember to follow the college/university's process of getting the credits.
Note that you don't need to take AP classes to take AP exams, and there are free online courses that can help prepare you for AP exams (you can find some on https://www.classcentral.com/search?q=ap ).
Note that you have to take AP exams to have the possibility of getting the equivalent college credits. Taking AP classes without taking AP exams doesn't work.
3. Take advantage of another institution. Some colleges/universities accept transferred credits from another institution, so it's possible to take courses at another institution if the courses aren't available at your own college/university in the semester/quarter you want to take the courses. You can even do so in a summer semester/quarter before you attend your real college/university. Check what institutions' credits can be transferred, what are their equivalent courses at your college/university, and whether they can be transferred to courses that can count toward the major(s) you identified.
For example, Texas A&M provides a tool to check for transferrable courses: https://compassxe-ssb.tamu.edu/HCA/ssb/transferCourseEquivalency/#/crse
Using the tool, one can find that Alvin Community College's PHYS 1401 - GENERAL PHYSICS I [4] can be transferred as the equivalent of Texas A&M's PHYS 201.
Remember to follow the college/university's process of transferring the credits.
By planning when/where to take what courses, you might be able to shorten the number of years needed to graduate from the undergraduate program.
-----
For the graduate part, you can't, as far as I know. The programs I know all require four years.
Kuei-Ti recommends the following next steps: