Life as a Vet Student- Advice to the Class of 2015

By Jamie Zhen

Cornell University  

            Living at home my entire life and having the luxury of my parents preparing delicious meals for me every day, I had to face the biggest challenge going away to school and living on my own: the kitchen. The most I’ve done in the kitchen was boiling water, scrambling some eggs, and microwaving leftovers. As I transitioned to living on my own, I feared I would be living off of ramen and microwavable meals. However, I was fortunate to have two amazing roommates who were culinary experts and were willing to guide me and share some of their expertise. Without their help, my transition to living independently wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as it did.
            Half-way through into my first year of vet school, I received an early Christmas gift. After a calf handling lab, I contracted cryptosporidiosis, a few days before my final exam. Cryptosporidiosis is a disease transmitted via fecal-oral routes and causes diarrhea that lasts anywhere from a few days to 4 or more weeks. As a vet student, I was destined to contract this illness sooner or later. Rumors were that once you get it, you will become “immune” to it upon future exposures. I crossed my fingers and hope that this is true so that I can look on the bright side of this situation of having this illness at the worst time possible. Although it was a fairly effective weight-loss strategy, I highly don’t recommend it. Despite the nausea and frequent visits to the restroom, I was still able to make it to school to take my final exam. The first thing I did as I entered the exam room and found a seat, I took out my bottle of Gatorade and container of saltine crackers. I made it through that day without much trouble. This experience certainly made it to the number one spot on my most memorable parts of my first year of vet school.

            In spite of contracting a zoonotic disease and being forced to cook for myself, I really enjoyed my first year of vet school. I learned so much without even realizing it. When I pursued a summer externship at an animal hospital, I actually understood the veterinary medical jargon being used. All of the countless hours of drawing diagrams of canine and feline anatomy as well as diagrams of physiological processes popped back into my head as I watched the vets diagnose and treat their patients. My first year of professional school was an extremely rewarding educational experience in which I was given an opportunity for personal growth. Although I miss being a first year student, I am excited to see what my second year of veterinary school has in store for me.