Tag: vet student

On Writing

I turned out to be a huge Stephen King fan as an adult.  Growing up, my sister loved his horror stories, but I don’t really like horror, so I never read any King. Until, that is, I read The Dark Tower.  That sold me.  Now Stephen King is a go-to for me, particularly when I’m

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Red Flags in Veterinary Schools

I’ve said before that where you go to veterinary school Does Not Matter except for the cost of attendance.  I stand by that statement and genuinely believe it.  If your school is accredited by the AVMA, you will get a good education, so long as you are a good student.  Your education depends FAR more

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Red Flags in Vet School Applicants

In my opinion, there aren’t many reasons that applicants are flagged as not acceptable for entry into vet school.  In the application, the three I can think of are academics, experience, and ethics.  In the interview, the two I can think of are cluelessness and obnoxiousness.  Let’s break each one down. Academics “The art and

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What is the VMCAS Recommendation and How is it Read?

You would think a letter of recommendation (LOR) is a simple thing.  You ask someone to write it for you when you apply to vet school, they do so, it is read, and that contributes to your evaluation.  All of that is true, and I want to drill down on the details of the letter

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The Art of Pimping

I am NOT talking about managing sex workers.  In 1989, Dr. Brancati published a tongue-in-cheek article in the Journal of the American Medical Association titled “The Art of Pimping”.  It is a true classic which I think anyone bound to be a specialist would enjoy. Pimping is the term used when the senior clinician asks

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Top 5 Reasons Not to Go to Vet School

I try to maintain a positive tone of this blog, but I also feel responsible for helping you understand reality.  Veterinary medicine has been a great profession for me, but not everyone should go to vet school. Here are some reasons that another profession and training experience might be the right fit for you. Bad

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How to chit-chat during interviews

Most interviews involve at least some time outside of a ‘formal interview’ setting.  For vet school, this may be during a campus tour or a lunch.  For internships and residencies, this may be during the hospital tour or as you are getting set for the formal part.  Some programs may have a lunch period for

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Top 5 Reasons to go to Vet School

There are as many reasons to get a DVM as there are people who want one.  This list isn’t intended to be proscriptive or exhaustive.  But, if your reason isn’t somewhere on here, I would suggest you carefully consider your actual core reason for deciding on vet school. 1) You want to be a leader. 

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Book Review: Vet Med SPREAD

Some time in the recent past, I thought to myself, “I wonder if there is a guide to help those who are applying to vet school?  If not, maybe that’s something I could write!”  I looked on Amazon and the result was the Vet School Survival Guide.  The author sent me that book and sent

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