How hard is vet school?

While medical school is difficult, there are more of them available. More schools mean more chances for students to be accepted. Some states have more than one medical school option available. However, some states don't have a single veterinary school option.

If you are lucky enough to get accepted into a veterinary program, you still have a long road ahead. Compared to most undergraduate programs, veterinary school is hard. Most veterinary students take 25 to 30 credits per semester of rigorous science-based courses.

This means that veterinary school students can expect to be in the classroom or a laboratory for 35 to 40 hours per week with additional studying at home daily for several hours. School usually starts pretty early and can last into the evening hours.

Veterinary students' school days tend to last a bit longer than the standard workday that most people are accustomed to. On a typical day, your morning session will consist of about four lectures with a 10 to 15-minute break between each.

After your morning session, you get a small lunch break. Most students use this time to squeeze in a little extra studying before heading to their afternoon classes or labs. Fitting in extra time to study is always a good idea as many programs have regular quizzes to assess your understanding.

After your break, you will head to your afternoon sessions. These can consist of coursework or lab work. If you attend lectures in the morning, your afternoon will be spent in labs and vice versa. Labs are where you gain hands-on experience.

After your daily sessions are over, you are not required to attend anything else, but most students use the evening hours to form study groups or participate in club events. These are opportunities to get involved and expand your network with things like Student Government Association or Large Animal Society.

Veterinary school is very time-consuming and mentally draining. You are expected to absorb a lot of new material and develop the practical skills needed for getting a job after graduation. You will have to make sacrifices, but it is worth it if this is truly what you want to do.