A Major Highlight into the Biology Pre-Vet Program

Hey everyone! This week we had a friend of ours write a post on Her major. Her name is Kira, you might remember her from our hiking post from last year or her post on Having and Quitting a Job. She went to Freshman Advantage (the summer program here at WWU) with Megan, Aly, and I. She is a sophomore in the Honor's Program who is majoring in Biology/Pre-Vet.

     ~Lacey

  BIOLOGY PRE-VET  

             I am majoring in biology with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine. I have wanted to be a veterinarian since I was little because I love animals and there have been many instances where the animals in my life have needed medical help.

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            There are a few things you need to consider if you are thinking about being a veterinarian or even just majoring in biology. Being a biology major is not easy and you have to be willing and able to work and study hard. If you are thinking about being a veterinarian you need to consider the long hours and the animals you will inevitably lose.

            Some of the classes you will have to take as a biology major are Organic Chemistry, Genetics, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Vertebrate Zoology, and Animal Behavior. In my experience, Organic Chemistry can ruin a perfect GPA. Some of your classes will seem easy but others will make you hate your life.

            As far as working toward vet school goes, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, start getting shadow hours with vets before you get to college. You will need around 300 hours with vets to get into vet school. You should also observe both surgeries and euthanasia before you settle on veterinary science as a career path. These are things that some people cannot stomach or take mentally. You want to know for sure whether you can stomach these things before you invest too much time and energy in an education.

            If, after all of these considerations, you are still determined to be a vet and make it work, then be prepared to work your butt off for at least eight years. Being a veterinarian can be a very rewarding job. You have the opportunity to save lives and keep families together and the lives you save will be very memorable.

            The pre-veterinary program at William Woods has its ups and downs. We have a leg up on other schools because we have 150 horses on campus, and with that many horses, something is bound to go wrong. Horses are insanely accident prone and that is why we have a vet on staff. Dr. Schiltz is also one of our professors and teaches some classes on campus. This is something that many other schools cannot offer. On the other hand, our labs are a bit outdated and there may be less options for biology electives. On the other hand, for a small school, we have quite a few options as compared to other schools our size.

            Animals have always been a part of my life and hopefully always will be. The opportunity to help animals and work with them every day is a chance I would never pass up. I am willing to do everything in my power to achieve my dreams of being a veterinarian.

~Kira