Confronting My Fears: Facing the Challenges of Veterinary School

Starting veterinary school is an exciting step towards my dream of becoming a veterinarian, but it also brings with it fears and uncertainties. Veterinary school will be demanding, filled with intense study, emotional challenges, making new friends, and the pressure to succeed. I'm sure most of my classmates are also having these same worries. In this post, I will share the fears I have as I prepare to enter veterinary school and explore ways to confront and overcome them.

Fear of Academic Overload

One of my biggest fears is the sheer volume of information to learn. Veterinary school covers anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, and clinical skills, all at a very fast pace. My biggest worry is that I will become overwhelmed with the amount of content I have to not only memorize, but also understand in a way so that I can confidently diagnose and treat patients after my four years of school.

To manage this fear, I plan to:

• Develop a consistent study schedule that breaks down material into manageable chunks.

  • In undergrad I made a schedule template for studying/quizzes in google sheets (it looks like the photo below), if you would like a copy of my one for vet school email me through my "Contact Me" page!

• Use active learning techniques like flashcards on Quizlet, group study sessions, and drawing out the anatomy that confuses me most.

• Seek help early from professors and peers when concepts are unclear.

  • I was always in office hours in undergrad, so I am sure to be asking my professors questions in vet school, even when they're are not dedicated "office hours" like in undergrad.

    • I heard from a current vet student that some first-year professors schedule this time into their class periods, or they are available to students in the offices or via email

• Balance study time with breaks to avoid burnout.

  • I plan to schedule in study breaks for myself. I hope to also be able to have a whole day (probably Sunday) off of studying when possible to allow myself to have a social life or just take a lazy day.

• Get my full 8(+) hours of sleep every night.

  • I'm not going to let myself study into the late hours of the night because I know from my experiences in undegrad that being well-rested is going to help me more on test day then cramming in a few extra hours of studying will.

    
    

Fear of Making New Friends (or really, fear of not doing so)

Facing vet school (and just life in general) alone would be way too overwhelming. So, building strong friendships in veterinary school is something I am looking forward too, but also something I am nervous for.

Ways I plan to foster friendships and make connections from the start include:

• Putting myself out there during orientation

  • Orientation at UGA is the first 2 days on campus, and I am super excited to meet all of my classmates!

• Chatting between classes and during downtime with my peers from the start

• Opening myself up to talk to anyone and everyone I meet

• Grabbing lunch/dinner with the people I meet

I am also just going to try my best not to be too nervous and just go with the flow of the first few weeks of veterinary school. A current vet student I recently talked to told me that everything just falls into place in the beginning and that it does so quickly. So, I am just going to trust the process on this one for the most part.

Fear of Imposter Syndrome

I am someone who tends to doubt my abilities a lot in life in general, and especially in school. When I got my acceptance letter for vet school, I couldn't believe it. I questioned why and how I got in, even though I have the credentials and what it takes to succeed in vet school. Imposter syndrome undermines my confidence and makes me question my abilities.

To combat this, I remind myself to:

• Celebrate small achievements and progress.

• Share feelings with friends who often experience the same doubts.

• Focus on learning and growth rather than perfection.

  • I am never going to be perfect, and I have to remind myself often that that is okay

• Seek mentorship and guidance to build confidence.

  • I have always loved the mentorship programs that my college and highschool had for students, and I know that UGA's vet school has something similar, so I plan to utilize it!

    
    

Recognizing that self-doubt is normal helps me move forward and succeed in my studies.

Embracing the Journey

Veterinary school is going to be a challenging but rewarding journey. I really hope I am able to treat every fear I face as an opportunity to learn more about myself and grow as a future veterinarian.

Vet school will not be easy, but the ultimate goal of being able to help animals and their owners will make it worthwhile.