Thursday, December 20, 2007

Ahh semester break is sweet!

Sorry for the delay. It turns out that as hard as first semester was, I ended up doing pretty well in all my classes (all 10 of them). My favorites were anatomy and histology, but I can safely say I learned a ton in each class. It feels terrific to have 1 semester of vet school under my belt. I know I will have doubts along the way but for the most part I know I can do this.

Things really came full circle for me this semester. Th first few weeks of transition were so uncomfortable and difficult. I questioned whether I made the right decision leaving my cats and Matt and my great finance job, which was not half as stressful and time consuming. My life seemed pretty great before vet school. But slowly through the semester I made some terrific friends, and plowed through, and in the end I started enjoying it. Right before Thanksgiving I felt the real transformation begin and by the time finals hit, I had no question in my mind that I made the right decision to be here. I was feeling much more comfortable with myself and what I was doing and ready to step up and get involved.

I volunteered for the pet loss helpline.
Became secretary of the pathology club.
Became a speaker coordinator for the small animal club.
Became operations manager for the VBMA.

I learned a lot about myself this semester. Despite thinking I could study all week and have weekends free with Matt I quickly realized this wasn't possible. And the weekends just weren't enough. It never felt right being apart a majority of the time. While the situation was not forever 4 years would be more difficult than I ever could have imagined for this long distance thing to work. Thankfully Matt took a good job in Blacksburg and will join me this semester on this fabulous journey toward a DVM. I was just sitting watching tv over break and realized, I am going to be a veterinarian one day, for real! And it feels so good.

In the meantime, I have been cleaning, applying for summer programs, and spending lots of qt with the cats. I got a little cabin fever earlier in the week and spent all of Wednesday in DC. I checked out the Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery, met a friend for lunch, and saw a Studio Theatre play with my sister. A great day of walking city blocks and getting out of the house. I have been hitting the gym super hard too which feels great. I am in no rush to stop my stretches!!

Saturday I'll head back to my emergency clinic. I am a little nervous and excited at the same time. I know I'll be rusty with some techniques but I should understand some things much better now.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

1 Semester Down

Well after 20+ hours of studying over 2 days for my immunology final the semester has come to a close. The exam was by-far the most challenging and having to cram the information wasn't a huge help. I am fairly confident I passed the class, maybe just not as well as I had hoped to. I have surpassed my own expectations for the rest of my grades, and have learned so much.

What is most important, however, is that over the past few weeks I have really come into my own here. I know I made the right decision to come to vet school. I love it! I am so happy to be here. I have started getting involved with the Veterinary Business Management Association, pathology club, companion animal club, among other activities such as pet loss hotline and wildlife ward.

This is where I belong and with one semester down I am 12% complete on the road to a DVM!

Monday, December 10, 2007

One final push

So far so good. One exam/class left. I can't believe it, but boy am I ready for a break. It's so hard because I can taste Wed 12/12 at ~11 am. Histology was a huge success and very satisfying. I left the exam realizing how much I learned and will actually retain and use in my career. It's pretty neat to know what organs look like on a microscopic level!

So immunology is what remains and it covers breadth of material. I have been studying for almost 8 hours now and have tomorrow to keep plugging. I don't feel as prepared going into this and I am terrible at cramming which is what has to be done, but hopefully it will come together in the end. A lot to get done and I must be efficient and focus on the exam and not Christmas break!!

It was 65 degrees in Blacksburg today so after the biochem exam some friends and I went for a run at my favorite place, Pandapas Pond. I figured you must take advantage of the unseasonally warm weather when you can and get outside. I am looking forward to break but must study hard for the next day and a half. Only 2 days left of my first semester of vet school!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Almost There

Well nobody said that vet school wasn't an uphill battle and after tomorrow at about 2pm EST it will be on the downhill. My third exam is tomorrow in histology. It's been a long, yet fast week of studying. My brain will be very fried by the end and I am trying to keep up steam and stay healthy (a cold is circulating the school) to see this thing through to next Wednesday!

I have had fun studying for histology. It has been one of my favorite subjects this semester, but also one of the toughest. I spent so long studying today that my brain thanked me as I took an hour break to decompress and watch Project Runway (what a good season, almost as juicy as Desperate Housewives) (no I do not get out much)while eating dinner. My break allowed me to plug on for another ~5 hours. Now it is 11pm and I am about to get cozy in the bed with my histology study guide and text book and try to absorb a little more info until I fall asleep.

For those of you I have neglected I am still your friend and be prepared for some catch up time when this is done. So far these exams have been more exhausting than any I recall from undergrad. Ugh. 5 more days to go...