I want to be a vet. Do I NEED to take pre-cal in high school?

[they'reHISchickens]

FYI, what my DD discovered as a dairy science major at two colleges:
First, she had taken advanced placement calculus in high school even though she wasn't great at math, There were 7 kids in the APcalc class and 30 in the regular calc. She figured on getting help in a smaller class. She was right although admittedly she was usually a week behind the class and never took the exam. Her class grade was a C.
She first attended the University of Wisconsin at the River Falls campus. Only basic algebra was required for a dairy science degree there and she cruised through it. With her math background, it was a gimme class.
Two years later she transferred to Texas A&M. A&M is an engineering -type university and they required a calculus class. So, 4 years after having her HS advanced calc class, she was back in it in Texas. She was very very thankful she had taken the course in HS because it did come back to help her in college years after she thought she would never need it.
I am proud to say she is a summa cum laud A&M grad Her profs urged her to apply to their vet school but that was never her interest.

Take as many AP courses as you can handle in HS. It's great training for college and the credits will never come cheaper. My other DD went through college in 3 1/2 years based on her AP courses. At the price of college-- well worth it!

 

[ChristineR]

It is true. I wanted to be a vet for years, but when I got to college the freedom went to my head and I slacked off just a bit.

My biology advisor told me the same thing. His advise to me was to become a doctor or a dentist--it's much easier! That is kind of a scary thought.

Quote:

Believe it or not, KLA37 is right saying that getting into Vet school is just as hard or harder then getting into Med school in a lot of cases. For that reason alone you will want to do everything possible to stand out with the admissions office. Taking calculus is just one thing along with everything else you can possibly do to make a great impression. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[ChicksterJo]

Take all the math & science classes as you can, but also work on writing and communication skills because those always come in handy. I went to a liberal arts-minded school so they made us take a variety of classes, and pre-meds had to take English and arts courses too, which involved a lot of writing. Many of them could not pass those classes because, even though they were great at math, they were not so great at expressing themselves for papers. If your school offers them, take AP classes. They may help you avoid taking those classes in college and save you money (if your college accepts those classes). I was able to graduate in 3 1/2 years because I took several AP classes in HS, one of them being Calculus. However, I had to take calculus again in college and it was a piece of pie...Don't ask me to remember any of it now, though lol.

Other than that, take Capvin's advice...standing out is key!!

 

[awesomefowl]

I want to be a (sheep and goat!) vet too. I am a sophemore in HS; I'm homeschooled.
I really do not like to study though, so I'm not very keen on spending seven years in college and spending so much money....

 

[Oregon Blues]

[[[[.......I really do not like to study though, so I'm not very keen on spending seven years in college and spending so much money....]]]]


Then you aren't going to grow up to be a vet. Pick another dream. You need a job that requires no work and no thought. Oh, and no training, because training costs money. Burger flipper at McDonalds will work well for you.

 

[ChicksterJo]

That's not a very nice thing to say....I also wanted to be a doctor (dermatologist) but gave up on it because I didn't want to spend all that money and all those years in school. I had a change of heart and decided making all that money wasn't going to make me happy in the long run. Just because someone doesn't want to get in a whole lot of debt for schooling and doesn't want to study for 7 years doesn't mean they are destined to become burger flippers.

 

[Hummelhill]

That's not a very nice thing to say....I also wanted to be a doctor (dermatologist) but gave up on it because I didn't want to spend all that money and all those years in school. I had a change of heart and decided making all that money wasn't going to make me happy in the long run. Just because someone doesn't want to get in a whole lot of debt for schooling and doesn't want to study for 7 years doesn't mean they are destined to become burger flippers.

Ditto ... That certainly wasn't a kind or constructive comment.

 

[Spookwriter]

I'm sure Ray Kroc did all right for himself as a burger flipper.
(McDonalds founder)

In life, money isn't everything.

 

[sourland]

Sourland likes burger flippers - or at least the product they provide.

 

[mommissan]

Being a veterinarian is harder than being a human doctor. You will need to know many different species, not just one, like a human doctor. I wanted to become a vet also, and kind of slacked off on pre-calc in high school. I squeaked by. So, off to college and well, I took it 3 times before I squeaked out a "C". Take the pre-calc in high school! It will whoop your butt in college if you're not prepared! You might get away with taking Statistics in place of Calculus, but where's the challenge in that?. Good luck!