Want the best vet for your pet? Where do top veterinarians study?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The skills required for being a vet are numerous, as you not only have to have the skills to complete 2 difficult university degrees, but also have the people skills to talk to owners. You also have to have skills to think on your feet, be resourceful, be good at both working alone and as a team, be good with handling animals and also be good with understanding money and be good at running a business. Along with this you also have to be kind, compassionate, patient and caring. It is a very difficult career, but a very rewarding one. In order to become a vet you first need to finish high-school, and then do an undergraduate degree taking specific courses (the list of courses you can get from the vet school in your province), and then you have to apply to vet school which is competitive. In order to get into vet school, you have to not only get good grades in university, you also sometimes need to write the MCAT (depending on the school) which is a test that doctors write to get into medical school, and you also need to have experience with animals, both small companion animals and large animals (sheep, cows, etc.). Once you get into vet school, you have to complete that degree, and then write a board exam called the NAVLE. A veterinary career is full of oppourtunities and is incredibly variable, allowing one to pursue many different types of jobs. Also, you can specialize after vet school if you want to work specifically in one area, such as surgery, or medicine. Best of luck with your project! I recommend contacting the vet school in your province to get more specific information about requirements.

I am sure it helps to have a ll A's, however every vet school has their own admission criteria, so it is best you write to the vet schools you are interested in attending to find out what their admission criteria are. Some require extensive volunteering with a vet, certain science courses, etc. Good Luck!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding veterinary school! The application process was similar to most applications. I used college professors, a local veterinarian with whom I worked and a personal friend for my recommendation letters. To help make my application stand out, I had over the minimum level of experience hours (1000hrs) and I took graduate level microbiolgy courses while still an undergraduate. I also had hours in a wide variety of areas of vet med (small animal, large animal, equine and laboratory animal) to make my application stronger. I received a letter that invited me to interview and it wasn't until after that, that I was actually accepted into school. I honestly do not remember how much time passed between my interview and acceptance letter. I was confident I would be accepted and I believe this helped me during the interview. Good luck!!

Getting a veterinary medical degree in the United States requires an additional four years of education after college. The cost of vet school varies depending on a variety of factors including whether you are considered an "in-state" student, whether the school is public or private, etc. But on average, for most students, vet school ends up costing an average of $150,000 - 200,000 total. This would be in addition to whatever costs are accrued in college, prior to applying to vet school.

You should talk to your vet about volunteering in the clinic. Vet offices often need help, and you're at a perfect age to start learning about how to take care of animals. You should also work very hard in school, get all A's, and apply to a good college with a good science program. There are only about 30 vet schools in the US, so competition is very fierce. Be sure to study hard and get as much experience working with animals as you can.

I started in high school. I needed good grades to get into a good university. I did not get into vet school my first try. I went and got a master's degree and worked for a few years before trying again. I did get into vet school on my second try. If it's a dream of yours to be a vet, go for it and keep trying! There are tons of vet who didn't get into school the first time around. Having extracurricular activities is good as well. Well rounded people at looked highly upon for vet school. Someone who studies all the time may not have the social skills needed to be a vet, and you do see in school that the ones with the best grades in vet school tend to have the most trouble relating to clients. Sports are a good idea. I was a swimmer; in fact, it paid for my university education with a scholarship. I hope this helps!

In order to become a licensed veterinary technician, you will need to find a LVT program (2 year) or a veterinary technology degree (4 year). There are many schools that offer these programs depending on where you want to live while doing this. If you do intend on becoming a veterinarian one day, my advise would be to attend a four year program. While in school, you will be able to take all the pre-requisite course work required to apply to most veterinary schools. There is a book put out by the American Veterinary Medical Association each year that outlines precisely what requirements are needed for each school.