feeling lost- advice needed!!

hi everyone,

im in a bit of a situation that i need help with. for the majority of my life i wanted to do veterinary medicine. i chose the relevant A levels that would enable me to apply for this course, however i underestimated the amount of work experience needed to obtain a place. when i went around several of the open days for this course i felt excited about the course but not so much about those who i would be with if i got a place i.e 90% of the students who seemed to be aplying were upper class females with ponies that their fathers had brought for them and captains of the lacrosse team, of course this is bit of a generalisation and there were a couple of girls i spoke to that came from similar backgrounds to myself i.e not privatley educated and lived in cities but we were defiintley in the minority. this put me offf from aplying along with everyone telling me that it was "more difficult that medicine to get into so why dont i just do that instead". my ans to that is that i never envisaged myself working as a doctor and i dont have the same passion for helping humans as i do animals. also i talked to a lecturer who seemed really dismissive of the dgree saying that the money isnt that great ( not that thats what motivated me in the first place) taht vets marry vets and they didnt have much of a social life and i got the impression tht he generally didnt enjoy being a vet. also the little work experinec that i did get was a nightmare. i worked in a small surgery for 2 weeks and the atmosphere there wasnt great. i found the it to be bitchy which is not the environment i want to work in the future and one particular vet was really rude about one pet owner who couldnt afford to pay the fees and called him all the names under the sun as soon as he walked out the door. i also wanted to get stuck in with helping and asked around for jobs to do but i just felt like i was in the way. i ended up applying to do a chemistry degree which i regret. i love the uni that im at but the course is just not doing it for me, i sit in lectures thinking "what if....?" and never absorb any of the info, and i hardly ever do any work as i feel like its a chore whereas i should really want to go back to my room after the lectures and write up my notes and do extra reading around the subject but i always find myself researching other degrees to do. i also get very dismissive/sarcastic comments off other students when i tell them im doing chemistry and they tell me that they wouldnt have expected me to do a subject like that- and i agree i feel out of place. i hate the long afternoons in the labs and i just feel like i have very little in common with those on my course who seem very enthusiastic about it all. its really starting to affect me. Also i tell myself that i cant hve been that passionate about veterinary in the first place if i let mundane things like those above put me off. iv just scraped through my 1st semester exams by a few % but im really not enjoying the experince and feel that i wont be able to stick it out for another 3 yrs. i also dont have A level maths but was still accepted onto the course despite this being a requirement so i find myself struggling a lot compared to my peers and feel as though im doing a maths dgree. iv looked at transferring courses to things like law and even anthropology but im so indesicive that iv no idea what to, ive always been very creative but i know theres not as much job security in those types of degree, however i should do a dgree that i enjoy right? rather than one i feel i have to do. but the thing is i think i enjoy science- but im not sure and feel that if id done history/ english at A level i would be in a completly diff place to the one im in at the mo. my parents have been supportive and tell me to do whatever i want but i think they're staring to get fed up with my whinging about ot knowing what to do with my life and i feel guilty for wasting my first year and the cost of that. im not sure now whether to suspend my studies for a yr so i can have a good think about what i want to do with my life, however i hve a good social circle at uni and have found a house with a group of girls for next yr which i rlly dont want to let go as that'll also mean il lose my £400 deposit. people tell me to tranfer to doing something like biology/biochem which tbf i think id enjoy more than the chem that im doing at the mo but i didnt choose to study in the first place as i thought a chem degree was more highly regarded? then if i did still do a science degree i dont know what id do after, i cnat rlly see myself as having a job that is science related. sometimes i feel that i made a mistake with the alevle sthat i chose as i was adamant that id do veterinary. my dad thinks i should get a science degree then think about doing veterinary after but he doesn't understand that i wont get funds to do this so couldnt afford to. i also wonder deep down whether i truly wanted to be a vet or whther i just like animals a lot but wouldnt want a career related to them and just live in a house in the country surrounded by them??

sorry for the garbled message but i've got lot of things going on in my head

any advice is welcomed

Reply 1

Aims!

Sounds like your in a pickle!

My mother has always told me, "If you enjoy the work you do, its not work at all!"..

So, from what your telling us, your only "putting up" with the Chem course because you were unsure as what to do/take.

If I were in your position, firstly, go and buy a new pair of shoes, you will feel better, hehe, then, have a serious chat with your director of studies, as you've indicated you like the Uni your in, MAYBE you could swap courses in the new academic year instead of worrying about the next three years doing Chemistry.

Your an amimal lover, ofcourse, but you need to ask yourself and be completely sure whether you really want a career like Vetinary stuff etc..

Again, I'd have a good long chat with your director of studies, this person would have seen loads of people in your position previously, and no doubt will have some good advice and knowledge to pass on to you..

Hope this has helped!

Reply 2

daisychainsaw88

Hi, I did a degree in English and hated it the whole way through but stuck with it because I didn't know what else to do and similarly had a great group of friends and loved the Uni lifestyle. I had no motivation to do the work because I didn't enjoy it and I didn't have a career to aim for at the end. When I graduated I applied for a few jobs but my heart wasn't in it and I thought 'well I've always wanted to work with animals so why not Veterinary?' I got some work exp in a kennels, a farm park and a couple of vets. I found I loved it and so applied for the 6year course at Notts because I didn't have the science A Levels. After a lot of sleepless nights I got an offer and I can't wait to start, however I do wish I had done it sooner instead of doing a degree I hated. I've waffled but my point is, go for your dreams! As cheesy as that sounds, if you aren't happy doing a Chem degree, you aren't going to be happy working in that field for the forseeable future. You haven't wasted time or money if it's made you realise this isn't what you want to do and it's better you realise now than further down the line! I would advise get some work exp in different places, even if it's just weekends (then you can still continue your degree) and see how you feel after that. Everywhere is different and I didn't really enjoy one of my work exp placements, but the rest more than made up for it. Every profession will have bitchy people etc in it, but equally they will have some great people who are willing to help you! Just go for it! Hope this makes a bit of sense!

Reply 3

username218989

I agree that you need to talk to your Senior Tutor/Pastoral Tutor/Director of Studies pretty soon, they'll help you sort your head out.
You also need to sit down with yourself and perhaps write out a pro and con list of changing course/dropping out/carrying on etc.
From what you've said you don't seem particularly convinced that you really want to do veterinary, and the only way to get onto the course is to have a genuine enthusiasm and passion (God, I hate those words) for the subject and profession. Did you only take Chem because you didn't know what to do? There's no point continuing your degree because its "Highly regarded" if you hate it; you aren't going to want a career in it if a year studying it at uni is so awful.
If I were you I'd work out what I enjoy the most - what was your favourite school subject? - and see about switching course to that. Don't worry too much about where its going, you get loads of career advice in your final year and its better to be enjoy learning it. My brother went to uni because he likes Maths, graduated with no career plan, and has essentially stumbled into the perfect job for him - have faith in yourself. You can do it, and you will make the right decision :smile:

Maybe break up your first post a bit? It was really hard to read, sorry.

Edit - by the way, looking at our vet app thread, hardly anyone has a horse etc, and everyone is friendly and normal. I live in a small, urban town and certainly don't have a pony :p:

Reply 4

ponyvet

Hello,
I can understand what a prediciment you're in and it seems as though you will have to make some difficult decisions. I'm sure that when you have a firm plan in place it will give you some direction and things will get better for you.
If you decide that veterinary is for you, the resources on this website are great and it's a lovely community. I'm sure there are far more people in a better position than me to advise you on the work experience requirements. Things have changed a bit since I applied.

I can certainly give you a perspective of what it's like to be a vet in practice. Firstly, don't be put off by the 'people with ponies'. Vet schools consist of people from all walks of life. There were plenty of people in my year who were from cities and had taken a state education. Some people were older and were taking a new career path and approx 20% of my year were graduates on entry.

As for practice, it's excellent. I couldn't see myself doing anything else! You do have to think about the reality of late finishes and time spent on call though. It can be very hard work. There is now much more emphasis on quality of life, work/life balance, and reducing stress in the profession. Many small animal clinics don't do their own out of hours so thier vets can take a break at night and weekends. There are some vets who are very disgruntled with their work, but I'm sure this is the same in other professions too.
As you have found the vet practice you went to, to be unwelcoming try another on recommendation. If you state which area you're in I'm sure someone here could point you in the right direction.
It's also important to remember that the veterinary degree provides you with quite a broad education and there are lots of other things vets do than solely work in practice.

I hope this helps a little and I hope things get better for you x

Reply 5

loppywoppywoo

thanks everyone for the guidance, it's true that i have some big decisions to make- athough i wish someone else could make them for me! i realise that my post has made me come accross as being quite judgmental and narrow- minded which i think is down to the fact that i havn't got a lot of work experience under my belt and, if i did more this would help me with my decision. i'm going to email my personal tutor to arrange a meeting to discuss my options but i think i'll probrably stick this year of my degree out and try and arrange some more work experiene over the summer period.

thanks again

Reply 6

Annaconda

i live in the city and went to state schools. even considering the small proportion of applicant that use this site there are users from every type of background and there is definitely NOT a bias toward private school pony owners

Reply 7

ILurfSmurf

if it were me, i'd go for the dream (well... i am :wink:

)

take a year out if needs be, get some work experience together (not all practice's are bitchy etc i've seen some lovely ones!)

oh and not all us 'pony' owners are stuck up private school girls :wink:

granted, my parents pay for my horse, but i'm in state school, work my butt off to get the grades and have a job to help fund him, and when i'm not with him or doing work - i'm an ordinary teenager :smile:

Reply 8

FireAndIce

Okay firstly go and live your dream. Dont give up on them as you will always be wondering "what if..."

I have got 2 offers and no way am I posh or have my Daddy buying me a pony! I live in a deprieved area (mainly made up of council houses/flats) and go to a normal secondary school. Its not selective in anyway shape or form.

As long as you have a real passion and dedication and work your bum off; it doesnt matter what background you have!

I admitt living in a city does make some things tricky - like getting dairy or lambing experience... however, just try and get as much variety as possible, and do other extra stuff to boost your application!

Reply 9

lotpot

I agree with FIREANDICE if its your dream dont give up ever! You can try and fail but its better than not trying at all! My advice which i also got from a friend who's a vet is take a year or even 3 out. Get some work experience, some of my placements havent been as good as others but i still enoyed it all and know because of it that this is what i want to be working as in the future. If you do this you can get a idea of what you really want also been away from all the pressures of your course will let you put things in perspective. And as for the bitchiness i think you will find that in all walks of life its something you have to put up with. Good luck