Hello I am a senior at high school who isn’t not still familiar with college things.
I love animals but I don’t know if i should major in animal science because…
I am worried that I won’t enjoy because I am not interested in farms, agriculture, and domestic things.
I am worried that there will be limited future career jobs because I know i won’t do agriculture areas.
I am worried that it will be hard to change animal science to a science major (biology or chem) if I change my mind later.
I am also thinking about med school too…more towards vet but…
I know zoology is part of biology. Is this a good major for both vet and med?
I was thinking of biology but isn’t it a really competitive major? My dream school is Cornell, but I am worried that I wouldn’t be admitted to biology but maybe a better chance with zoology or animal science.
Since I know any science major is pretty much okay to go to vet school, are there any recommended less competitive science majors?
I feel like it’s safer to choose a general science major, but then i don’t know which one is good for both med and vet
- should go to a decent undergrad college that gives me more money than top college so I can be ready for paying vet or med school later?
thank you!
You have asked quite a few questions in your post. Hopefully, I will be able to give you some points to consider. For point of reference, I am a current third year veterinary student so I have been in your shoes!
Why do you think you want to pursue vet med? What knowledge do you have of the field? Have you shadowed any veterinarians? I ask these questions as, unfortunately, vet med is idealized as playing with puppies and kittens. In reality, being a veterinarian is very much a people job (lots of client education/communication). It is not a job for those who “hate people” and would rather be with animals. I would suggest shadowing in one or several veterinary clinics ASAP if you choose to pursue vet med. Plus, vet school admissions require veterinary hours so you might as well get started now!
Regarding AnSc vs another major, I struggled with the same question. At my university, the majority of pre-vet students were animal science majors (there was no zoology option.) However, looking at job prospects, future Plan B career options, I really did not like the opportunities available for AnSc majors. In addition AnSc majors had to take a meat science class and manage the school’s butcher shop. Neither of which I had an interest in. I chose to major in biochem and I took several animal science classes that appealed me.
I know zip about med school as humans are GROSS. :-& (However, there were many pre-meds in my biochem major for whatever that’s worth.)
I will say, if you can see yourself being something other than a veterinarian, I would pursue the other career choice. Recent veterinary graduates are in a bundle of hurt when it comes to student loan debt and the debt to income ratio. The average student loan debt for 2017 vet school graduates was $144,000. And over 25% have debt above $200,000. While the average starting salary for 2017 grads was $73,000. So while you may end up with the same debt from med school, your salary will be much, much higher.
See if you can shadow in the different fields you are interested in pursuing. I think that truly helps glean at least a small insight into what a career in that field would entail.
If you have any further questions regarding vet med or pre-vet studies, please let me know.
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Wow I just realized that there was a reply! I actually started vet shadowing last month! I didn’t really like it on the first day because I already saw “debates” going on between my vet and this person(registered nurse who thought she knew everything) or like this anus examination where vet had to deal with dirty things. But, as I went in more and more, I was actually kind of liking it and clients were all pretty nice too!
The thing is, I don’t think I really like humans…and definitely not being racist but I think I have a really low chance in getting into med school anyway because I’m asian, and I’m definitely not one of those super super smart ones…I don’t know about vet school, but there are facts/stats out there that asians have the lowest chance of getting into med school.
My plan is going to the cheapest school for undergrad to hopefully save for vet school. For animal science, I just like the fact that they will give me more hands on experience or more opportunities to be with animals than other majors. And I believe that’s important because vet colleges would prefer a student who has knowledge/experience on variety of animals I believe? Honestly, I don’t like any of the majors in colleges. I don’t even know if I am going to enjoy if I am in bio major…
Do you regret becoming a vet student? How many hours of experience did you have before vet school because I’m actually worried about this because I will only have like 100 hours (vet shadowing and animal shelter) when I graduate from high school and I know the average is like 1000. 8 or 9 years of school is kind of stressing me out because I will be like 27? 28? when I graduate…
Okay, that was a lot of stuff again. But thank you so much for replying!
Are you interested more in farm animals or cats and dogs? If you don’t know that’s fine but I ask as animal science tends to be geared towards production animals and farm management. Since my interest is mainly small animals (feline medicine, specifically) that was one reason I did not major in AnSc. That and jobs for an AnSc degree did not interest me. Majoring in biology does not provide many job opportunities either unless one has a post-bac degree so I would also be hesitant to major in bio.
If I had to do undergrad over, I would major in either clinical laboratory science or medical laboratory technology. CLS and MLTs run diagnostics tests in hospitals and private centers. When doctors order blood tests, these are the people performing the tests. I really enjoy chemistry and lab bench work and feel this would have been a good backup career option for me. Starting salary is around 50k. If you are interested in pursuing a CLS or MLT, just make sure the program is accredited. (This was produced in New Zealand but it gives a good overview: https://youtu.be/uxnToynW5ow)
Regarding veterinary/animal hours, most pre-vet students obtain hours during undergrad. I would not worry if you only have a 100 by high school graduation. That is probably more than most. You are correct that most schools suggest 1000 hours but keep in mind that most schools want variety. Make sure you try to include all of the major animals: large, small and equine. If your location makes that difficult then try to include exotics/zoos, public health, etc.
As far as whether I enjoy vet school or regret my choice? The short answer is yes and no. The long (and salty) answer: it’s school and there’s a boat load of work/studying. Plus a fair amount of busy work. There also are tons of inter-school politics and policies that I do not agree with nor have control over. (When 10-15% of every first year class is failing a class, that to me says there is a professor problem or when you expect your third year students to know how to suture in surgery lab but never included a suturing class in the curriculum.) Plus, do not get me started on my student debt that not only will I NEVER pay off, I won’t even be touching the principal with my monthly payments. I also feel the general consensus of pet owners think veterinarians are just money hungry goons. Most do not understand the true cost of medicine as they have health insurance. Thus, they wonder why it costs $400 for an annual exam and blood work on Fido but only $30 for themselves. Overall, I think I will be better at answering this question once I have been out of school for 3-5 years. I hope I don’t regret following my childhood aspirations but I do have my doubts, some days more than others.
I you have any other questions, please ask away! Also, I do not mean to disillusion you in any way from pursuing vet med.