<p>This is my first year of college. I entered school as a music performance major, only to discover that this is not the path for me. During this first semester, I have been seriously questioning which educational path I would like to take, as in which major I should switch to. Apart from music, I have always had a passion for animals. I've always said that if for some reason I don't pursue a career in music, I would want to do something with animals. So now that I'm 100% sure I'm changing majors, I have been doing some more research on possible animal-related majors, such as biology and zoology. I have also been seriously considering pursuing a career as a veterinarian. The SUNY school that I attend has a pre-vet program that allows you to take the prerequisites for vet schools. There are two things holding me back the competitiveness of being accepted to a vet school, and the cost. I am a decent student (my high school GPA was a 3.9/4, and I have all A's in my college classes - including biology), but I'm wary about whether I should pursue this career path, only to find that I can't get the education I need, whether it's because I'm not accepted to veterinary school or because I can't afford it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>Hi lissy,</p>
<p>It’s good that you’re looking at your options early in your college career.</p>
<p>You mention the debt that goes along with vet school, and unless you are independently wealthy it will likely be $100 - $200 thousand depending on if you go in state our out. This should certainly be a consideration since starting salary for a vet in mixed practice is usually well under 100k. There are concerns about saturation in the field, as well, especially with a new private vet school opening in East TN next year. </p>
<p>If you do decide to pursue vet school down the road, consider a major like biology. It will give you many options, and you can still easily take all the prerequisite classes for admissions.</p>
<p>Best of luck with your decision.</p>