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Why steps do I need to take to become a veterinarian?

I'm in 10th grade and I'm already looking at colleges with majors in veterinarian I just don't know what steps I need to take in high school till I get to college

college high-school veterinarian veterinary veterinary-medicine
Thank you comment icon Concentrate on your schoolwork, particularly in math and science, as these subjects are crucial! Look for veterinarians in your neighborhood and check if they offer volunteer or intern programs. This will not only give you hands-on experience but also help you confirm if this is the career path you want to pursue. Best of luck on your journey! Chevonese James
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Danay’s Answer

Contrary to what you may hear a lot of people say when you're in high school, you don't have "all the time in the world". It wont make or break your applications necessarily to get a late start, but getting an early start is so much better! By this, I mean try to get animal handling and supervised veterinary hours as soon as possible. It can be challenging, but there are usually quite a few opportunities available even in the smallest towns. Volunteer at your local wildlife rescue organization, ask your veterinarian if they would be willing to allow you to shadow them a few weekends, volunteer at the local animal shelter. Any extracurriculars involving animals and leadership will help you meet the necessary hours of experience required for your veterinary school applications. Some schools require 500+ hours of experience with animal handling and veterinary supervised hours to apply to their programs! So start accumulating those hours as soon as possible as it gets trickier to get those hours while you're in college.
The above advise is also good, make sure to take as many AP math and science classes as you realistically can in high school. You will have to complete a bachelor's degree before applying to a Veterinary program because in the US it is considered a graduate program, so getting into a university should be your next priority, and they will be looking at the rigor of the courses you took in high school as well as your grades and extracurriculars.
Once you've made it to university and are completing your bachelors degree, try your absolute best to keep your grades up and keep going on those animal handling extracurriculars. Most veterinary programs have a minimum college GPA that they expect from applicants. If you don't meet the minimum requirements, they may not consider your application.
Finally, although it is definitely more convenient to go to a school that has a pre-veterinary major for your undergrad, it isn't strictly necessary. You can major in Biology, cell biology, evolutionary biology just to name a few and just make sure you're taking the required prerequisites to get into a veterinary program! I even know people have gotten into veterinary programs who were history majors, they just had to take the minimum required courses.
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A. Michelle’s Answer

Take as many high school math and science courses as you can and be sure the level of difficulty increases with each one. This will put you in strong position to take and do well in the college courses you will need to be able to apply to veterinary medicine schools. High school is also a great time to learn more about the field, requirements and typical work days through activities such as job shadowing.
Thank you comment icon I'm excited to put your great advice to good use! Amanda
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