future exotics vet...?

Oh and I agree with the above, Don't Sweat the Money! You will be poor throughout your training, but there are a lot of good internships and financial aid to get you through, and you will have no problem making it back once you get through school. Learn to love ramen noodles.

Money should never stand in the way of doing what you love.


Cheers,
Kat

There are PLENTY of grants out there. You have to look for them, jump through all the right hoops, and then you go to school on someone else's dime. Even if it's only partial, it's better than paying for all of it.
There are grants for people in a certain state(usually some for each state), grants only for women, only for minoritys, only for people who's parents tow trucks... you name it. Find the grant that applies to you, and apply for it, every single grant that applies to you.
That way you do both your goals. Go to vet school, and not worry as much about money. You can ALWAYS fall back on studant loans.

Go for it. If it is your passion, you will succeed. The world needs more exotics vets!!!

:gj:

I want to thank you guys for your honest support of my ambitions. By random chance I had to go see my local exotics vet the other day and talked to him about this stuff, and he encouraged me a lot and believes I can definitely do it. If he thinks I can do it, then I definitely can...!!

I am flattered by the support I got on this forum and want to thank you guys so much, as it has helped me to get the courage I need to set this decision in stone. I'm super excited now for all those anatomy and animal-related courses I get to take... going to be so much fun!! :D

good luck! im about a year into my BA in animal science. I trying to go the same route with exotic animals, but i hope to be a vet at a zoo. we have a long, tough, and fun road ahead. LIVE FOR YOUR DREAMS! :gj:

Wow, it sounds like we are in a very similar position. I am currently a Sophomore at North Carolina State University majoring in Animal science with a Pre Veterinary Concentration. My family is very supportive of my aspirations in general, but they do not really understand my obsession with herps (though they gamely tolerate my animals). Everything I can offer for advice has already been said by someone else int he thread, but here is my checklist of 'things to do before applying to vet school:'

1) Gain experience at Vet Clinics- Work or volunteer doesn't matter, so long as you are working under a vet who can hopefully write you a letter of recommendation later and gaining experience. Make sure your experiences are as diverse as possible. If you interested in herps, for sure try to find a relatively local vet who specializes or at least works with exotics on a fairly regular basis and try to work for them. Also, however, try working at a traditional clinic or at a large animal clinic. You never know what you might like, and I am told that Vet Schools love to see a lot of experience and a lot of VARIETY in those experiences.

2) Make Good Grades- It sounds obvious, but there are far fewer slots in vet schools in the country than there are applicants, so a good GPA is critical, especially in the heavy science classes and other classes that are prerequisites for the vet schools you want to apply to.

3) Be involved on campus- Whether it be in clubs, working on campus for research, or any other form of involvement. Volunteering is great as well. All of these things will help your application be more 'well rounded' as well as being fun and rewarding experiences in an of themselves.

That is all I can think of right now, but I wish you the best of luck in achieving your dream. If ti is what you want to do then go for it!

Check out this website. Maybe internship over the summer?
http://www.worldvets.org./

stick with what you *really* want to do.. ive always dreamed of being a vet and im doing my undergraduate now, at first i contimplated getting a legal assisting AA degree but I knew I would rather do the hard work to eventually be what Ive always wanted to be. we will have to move a couple hundred miles to go to UF, its the only school in Florida.

From what Ive read you have to really buckle down and get amazing grades. Some people get an animal science degree, others get a biology degree as their undergradute..

good luck and stick with your dream!!
You should also consider calling the school you want to go to or talk to your advisor