VETERINARY MEDICINE     900w

When you walk into a veterinary office, you may think it would be wonderful to be a veterinarian and it must be great to be able to help save animals’ lives every day you come to work. This is true, but being a veterinarian is not easy and schooling to become a veterinarian is equally as tough. Veterinary medicine is a great career, but it involves a lot of hard work and dedication. I asked veterinarian Dr. Bill Baumgartner why he decided to become a Veterinarian and he replied by saying “I grew up in rural Kansas and I liked going out to farms and I like being around animals. I knew I wanted to work with animals and did not want to have a dull office job.” Dr. Baumgartner had his mind set on becoming a veterinarian in high school and he was prepared to do just that. Although it takes a lot of schooling to become a vet, he still decided to go for it. Most colleges require a degree in the science field as a prerequisite to get into vet school. The majority of colleges require a degree in Biology, Zoology, Physics, or Biochemistry. Some other common prerequisites are a degree in Organic Chemistry or Microbiology. “I majored in Microbiology before I got into vet school.” All together, it takes eight years of college to get a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Dr. Baumgartner also commented: Eight years of college was not easy, in fact, it was very tough, but I put my mind to it and worked hard to get where I am now. I can remember my high school counselor telling me that he did not think I had the skill set to become a veterinarian and recommended that I look into a smaller degree or think about a different job field; let’s just say that I proved him wrong. There are many colleges and universities that offer a veterinary medicine program in the United States, but that does not mean it will be any easier to get into vet school. Dr. Baumgartner told me: I personally went to Kansas State University for my generals and also applied and got into the vet school. It is very competitive and a lot of people apply, but not many actually get accepted. Vet schools are looking for students that have a passion and are not just in