Alumni Interviews:

Catherine Webb (Zivnuska)
University of Missouri- Columbia
College of Veterinary Medicine
Class of 2011
VBMA Management Chair
President-Elect SCAWV

What was your graduation year and major?
    I graduated fall of 2005. I majored in Agricultural Science and minored in Biology. As far as which major is “better” for pre-vet: there is none. Both Ag and Bio have so many great classes available that are recommended for vet school (genetics, cell bio, animal repro, nutrition, etc) You can take many classes from both and end up with a well-rounded, well-prepared student.

What veterinary school are you going to (went to)?
    I wanted to go to MU. It was the only place where I applied. I figured it was in state, tuition would be lower, I knew people there, and it was close to home. As I look back, I would have checked out other schools a little more extensively. Either way, you’re going to be spending around $100,000. Find out which school is best for you. We had a visiting prospective student who came by this year and she spent 3 days at MU sitting in on our classes. I thought this was brilliant. She was deciding between three schools. She looked at who had the best/most scholarships, who has the best facilities for students, do the students seem happy and profs seem helpful, can you smell the stress when you walk into the building?  These were all great questions to ask about a program before you sign up to spend the next 4 years working harder than you’ve ever worked before! 

How did you prepare for vet school (shadowing, school, etc.)?
    I took any classes that I could that MU CVM recommended, took Livestock Mgt Techniques, the African Wildlife course with Dr. Burt, I worked as a zookeeper at Grant’s Farm for 5 summers, I shadowed in St. Louis AND in Kirksville. During the semester between graduation and spring, I lived up in Kirksville and worked under Dr. Jenny Lindquist.  If no one would hire me, I would VOLUNTEER. I scooped a lot of free poop. 

Why did you choose to go to Truman?
It was in state and had a good reputation. I didn’t decide to go Agriculture until I came on a visit day.

How well did Truman prepare you for vet school?
    I feel like Truman did  a great job preparing me for vet school. I still had to re-learn how to study when I got to vet school. However, I think the labs, the variety of education, and the personal education that Truman offers were really beneficial. I had the dean of Science write me a letter of recommendation to vet school!

What classes did you find most helpful at Truman?  Which would you recommend?
    Histology! I loved Histo and it was quite helpful with microanatomy in vet school. Also I loved Livestock Mgt Tech’s, Nutrition, and the trip to Africa was amazing and did a great job of bringing to my attention the HUGE impact that animals have upon the environment, economy, politics, etc.

Where did you apply and how many schools did you apply to?
    I only applied to MU. I thought that it was the best choice for getting into the least debt, I had visited several times with the pre-vet club and felt quite comfortable there.

Do you have any other suggestions for pre-vet students (such as extracurricular activities)?
    Undergraduate research! I didn’t think I had time for it, but I had the most fun, went to NCUR,  and presented at the Student Research Conference twice. It’s also a great way to get to know faculty better they come in handy when you need a letter of reference!
    Don’t GIVE UP! I ended up applying twice to MU. I just missed getting in the first time I applied and it really hurt. I moved back home into my parent’s basement, took classes at UMSL where I got straight As and increased my GPA, I got more large animal hours and did everything I could do to increase both my academic and my non-academic scores.  I made it here and I’m not worse off than any of the students who got in the first time they applied.

Joshua W. Schaeffer
Class 2010
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Missouri-Columbia

 What was your graduation year and major?
    May 2006,  B.S. Agricultural Science--Pre-Veterinary Medicine

What specialty are you going to go into (large, small, mixed, exotics, etc.)?
    Food animal medicine

How did you prepare for vet school (shadowing, school, etc.)?
    Grew up on a farm, shadowed different vet clinics, worked at a clinic in high school,

Why did you choose to go to Truman?
    Smaller school, smaller college town, and available scholarships

How well did Truman prepare you for vet school?
    I feel that Truman did an excellent job at preparing me for vet school.  This especially true for the food animal and equine classes, which I took for my major at Truman.

How/why did you decide to be a veterinarian?
    I honestly cannot remember why I originally wanted to be a veterinarian.  I was six when I first wanted to be a veterinarian and started reading about veterinary medicine.  I continued to fall more and more in love with this profession as my schooling progressed and here I am today.

What classes did you find most helpful at Truman?  Which would you recommend?
    I found the equine courses, nutrition, livestock management techniques, and bio-chem to be the most helpful.  I did not take but would strongly suggest taking comparative anatomy and histology.

Do you have any other suggestions for pre-vet students (such as extracurricular activities)?
    I suggest as many extracurricular activities as you wish to engage in.  I also suggest taking a full class load each semester (16-18 hrs).  This may help you to become accustomed to the time constraints and stress of vet school.  If you have limited experience with large animals, try working at the farm, joining Horseman’s, etc. to gain some handling experience.  I would also advise having as much fun as you can in undergrad because there isn’t much time for extracurricular activities in vet school.

Erin Kane
Class of 2011
College of Veterinary Medicine
Kansas State University

What was your graduation year and major?
    I graduated in December 2006 with a B.S. in Biology. 

What specialty are you going to go into (large, small, mixed, exotics, etc.)?
    I definitely haven’t decided on a specialty yet, but at this point, I’m interested in mixed practice.

How did you prepare for vet school (shadowing, school, etc.)?
    I worked as a veterinary assistant in a small animal practice during high school, and I volunteered in various clinics as a college student. I shadowed an equine veterinarian and worked at the TSU Farm to gain more large animal experience.  As far as academics go, I visited the web sites of the veterinary schools I was interested in to make sure that I was taking all the required courses. I also bought a GRE Prep book and used it to study for the GRE. 

Why did you choose to go to Truman?
    That’s kind of a long story. Although I’m from Colorado, I wanted to attend college out of state. My cousin is from St. Louis and she went to Truman. While visiting family in MO, I came up to Kirksville to tour Truman’s campus, and I ended up really liking it.

How/why did you decide to be a veterinarian?
    That’s always a tough question for me, because there wasn’t really one moment or experience in my life that convinced me to become a vet. It’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I was a very young kid.

What classes did you find most helpful at Truman?  Which would you recommend?
    Although most of the classes that veterinary schools require for admission are important, I’d say that Biochemistry, Genetics, Histology, and Physiology are especially important because those classes contain information you will definitely see again in vet school. Livestock Management is also a great hands-on class, especially if you don’t have a large animal background. Although I didn’t take these courses, Anatomy would have been EXTREMELY helpful, and other “ology” classes, like Immunology, Embryology, etc. would also have been great preparation.

Where did you apply and how many schools did you apply to?
    I applied to four veterinary schools, including Kansas State University, Colorado State University, University of Wisconsin, and University on Minnesota.
 

Do you have any other suggestions for pre-vet students (such as extracurricular activities)?
    The best advice I can give to anyone hoping to go to veterinary school is to do the best you can in the classroom, and try to gain a variety of experiences outside the classroom. If possible, try to work while you’re in school, because vet schools like to see that you can handle a job and a heavy course load at the same time. Also, it’s been my impression that veterinary schools look positively on research experiences, so give research a try if you’re at all interested. As far as veterinary experience, try to shadow veterinarians in different areas of the profession (ie small animal, large animal, exotics) and try to gain as many hours as possible. Start keeping a log of your veterinary and animal experience, because you’re going to have to write those experiences down on your application. Also, it’s great to hold a couple of leadership positions if you can. Basically, vet schools want to see that you can handle academic challenges, and they want to make sure that you’re familiar with the profession you’ve chosen to enter. Good luck!

Mary Green
Class of 2010
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Missouri

What was your graduation year and major?
    Biology Major; Graduated Dec. 2005

What specialty are you going to go into (large, small, mixed, exotics, etc.)?
    Mixed animal practice

How did you prepare for vet school (shadowing, school, etc.)? 
    I worked with a few different veterinarians during my undergraduate time.  I also took several of the elective classes that are recommended for vet school such as Microbiology, Histology, etc…

Why did you choose to go to Truman? 
    I preferred to attend a smaller school.  Also, Truman was known for having a very good biology program.

How well did Truman prepare you for vet school? 
    The classes at Truman did a good job of preparing me for vet school.  However, it’s also important to note that several of the classes not required for vet school have really helped me out. I chose to take those classes based on the comments of others who were already in vet school. 

How/why did you decide to be a veterinarian? 
     I think I was 12ish.   I love medicine and I love the feeling of providing care to animals that bring so much joy to others.  I also think it is very important for the safety of the food supply.

What classes did you find most helpful at Truman?  Which would you recommend? 
    Comparative Anatomy!!!,  Physiology, Reproduction Classes (offered through ag science)

Where did you apply and how many schools did you apply to? 
    I applied to Univ. of MO and to Kansas.

Do you have any other suggestions for pre-vet students (such as extracurricular activities)?   
    Stay involved…Grades are not everything.  While it is important to maintain a decent GPA, it is also very important to be active in groups such as pre-vet club.  Also, the clinicians who interviewed me were really impressed that I had done so much with 4H kids.  At Truman, it’s really nice to have that opportunity.   It’s also important that they know that you can handle the stress of vet school.  It’s a good idea to maintain at least 16ish hours per semester. Shadow as much as you can.