Self Imposed Anatomy Blogging Hiatus

Everything extraneous will be discontinued for a bit.  I’m not sure how long.  However long it takes.  I have some posts in que, but they need some finishing touches and I’d like to add pictures. I just cannot take the time to work on it.  Here’s why:

I need a big-girl life.  And life is all about small steps toward big goals.  A big-girl life begins with big-girl paychecks.  Which means I need a big-girl career.  And that will only happen if I enter into a Masters and/or Doctorate program.  And so, it is absolutely imperative that I get a 4.0 GPA and I was not pleased with my 92% on the last exam. So I feel like I have to work ever harder to study, as I have an anatomy exam on the articulatory system–imperative to Speech and Hearing Sciences, and very involved. So read back on other posts and think of me while I memorize the bones and muscles of the face and skull, finish my completed muscle notebook, do the dreaded oral cavity examination lab (with some stranger, probably old redhead), face paint the facial muscles, attend a forum on ALS for extra credit, and write my big pathology paper.

I’m focused, I’m motivated, (my body is trying to get sick–but I will not let it), and I will get an A+ in this class! I’ll be back. . .  Wish me luck and ability to retain and recall what I study.

Guide to Vet Observation

Hello, pre-veterinary hopefuls–this advice is for you.

Getting experience in veterinary hospitals is IMPERATIVE.  You will need to know about this career you so covet.  A lot of kids, at one time or another, want to be a vet–but do you really know what you’re getting in to?  Maybe once you see it’s not all kittens and rainbows, you wouldn’t like it so much after all.  Also, you will need experience hours to put down on the application when you are applying.  Plus, admissions is so super-competitive that you will need to be as well-rounded as possible.  And finally, vet school can only teach you so much–so anything you learn above and beyond your curriculum will give you a leg up.  If you have not gotten your foot in the door, I suggest you do so.  Yesterday.  You can never start too early, or be too competitive of a candidate.

Talk to your local veterinary hospital, go to the humane society, join an animal-related club, even talk to the farmer/rancher down the road.  If you have already observed at one place–do not stop reading this post.  You need varied experience.  Vet schools want to see that you’ve worked in private practice, research, small, large, and exotic medicine.  The more, and wider your body of experience–the better candidate you will be.  Call, ask, beg, write letters, ask people already in the field, utilize your networks to get in the door–anywhere.  Once you get in at one, you will more easily get into others.  Job shadow, observe, volunteer, make a day trip, whatever–just get involved somehow.

*Just remember it’s the GPA that is ultimately THE most important factor*

Here are 6 tips for when you get in the door:

1)  Try to stay for a full day

Veterinary medicine is different every day.  That’s part of what makes it so wonderful and exciting.  So it really is difficult to try to schedule when you are likely to see the most interesting things.  If you are there for an entire day vs. a few hours, you will maximize your chances of seeing a variety of interesting things.  In between said exciting and interesting cases, refer to #3 on this list.  And as part of this one–bring you own snack/lunch.  You may or may not get an exact-timed, scheduled and timely lunch break.  And you certainly do not want to miss the most exciting thing of the day because you had to drive somewhere to pick up fast food.  Besides–when you’re on your feet all day and trying to remain engaged, do you really wanna chow down icky, fattening greasy food?  Bring in high protein food to help curb hunger pangs and maintain your energy throughout the long day.  But a lot of the time the boss will buy you lunch.  If they do–include it in the thank you card that I suggest you write in point #5.

2)  Expect to feel awkward and out of place.

You won’t know anything about the place you’re seeing on your first day there.  It will take time to build a re-pore, establish trust, and get into a routine.  This is expected.  Try to stay out of the way and avoid touching/interfering with things.  When I began volunteering at my local veterinary hospital in 5th grade, the great majority of my time was spent jumping out of the way of the volatile veterinarian. Firstly, just hang back until someone gives you the go ahead, and until you see what is normal around there.

3.)  Be interested!

Yes, you are feeling everything out when you first go to your animal-related experience.  This does not mean, stand there looking bored.  My biggest piece of advice is to maximize your time.  Take a small notebook in with you.  Ask questions!  The adults at veterinary hospitals love to feel important, impart their knowledge, and give advice.  Use this to your advantage and learn everything you can.  And you don’t just have to ask the vets and professionals.  Everyone there will have some useful tips to share.  You can ask the vets about the career, medicine, and veterinary school.  The techs can tell you day-to-day routines, animal care tips, and impart info on potential back-up career plans, and even the younger staff can tell you about the current pre-reqs, ins and outs of the application, give standardized test advice, and maybe even let you know how/where to get a (summer) job.

3)  Once you are comfortable–jump in and help.

With permission, observers and volunteers can file, run and grab things, clean cages, and help with light restraint.  Get in the habit of cleaning off counters once an animal is off of it.  It will just show some initiative on your part.  If you feel comfortable and confident–and the staff you’re working with is handling the big stuff–it’s OK to help.  Learning is multi-faceted and it will cement what you’re seeing and writing if you actually DO things too.  Just don’t get crazy and do anything over your head or without DIRECT supervision/permission.

4)  Compare–but in your head, not aloud–each place you observe.

Keep track of things you liked and didn’t.  Each hospital/place will have their strengths, tips, and awesomeness.  You will also see your share of struggle, weaknesses, and maybe jerks.  Write down what might work for YOU in the future, and things you should remember to avoid iwhen you’re the one running the show.  It’s OK to make private judgements.  But that is what they should remain.  Do not, under any circumstance bad mouth vets, practices, or clients you’ve encountered at other places–especially when going to a subsequent hospital.  It’s unprofessional, makes YOU look bad, and in this world of highly competitive veterinarians that often judge/bad-mouth each other without actually having seen anything in person–needs to stop.  Also, you don’t want to burn bridges.  And you never know what ties these people have to each other.  Veterinary medicine is an insular world.  To a lessor extent, don’t be the annoying newcomer that says, “But  ___________ does it THIS way.”  No one wants to hear it, and vets tend to bristle against change–especially coming from a new person they don’t know well.

5)  Write thank yous.

Your main goal is to learn about the veterinary profession, but your secondary goal in observing/volunteering is to garner support from people on the inside.  Whether it’s a future part-time job, letter of recommendation, or future veterinary partnership–or all of the above–a little appreciation goes a long way in fostering important ties.  If you are given the opportunity (and trust!) to get inside an animal related job, jot a quick thank you note to the hospital (or farm staff, or whatever relevant group of people).

6)  Move on

This is the part I was never that awesome at.  Because veterinary school wants you to both be well rounded and have a 4.0 GPA, after spending time at one place–go somewhere else.  Loyalty will only limit your knowledge (and references).  And getting a full-time job will not garner you more points from admissions, but less.  Right or wrong, they figure if you’re standing there with no responsibilities that you are learning more then if you’re walking dogs or cleaning kennels on the time-clock.  So after you’ve learned what you can, get into a completely different aspect of the animal world and learn everything you can (in a brief span) from them.

I guess I should mention why I am a person you should listen to.  My advice is sound:  I volunteered 633 hours at my local vet hospital, observed for 6 months at a large animal practice, helped vaccinate and Coggins test employee horses, and spent weekends helping at an Animal Sanctuary, and more that I don’t remember without looking it up.  I hope this helps.

Audiology Essay Outline–Maybe

This has been sitting in my drafts for so long, that I can’t remember how much it is or isn’t updated.  So I’m going to publish it.  Again.

Outline:

Intro about non-direct path

vet story of non-verbal communication [short, short, short]

Cat Cues:

Squishing to the back of the carrier or kennel

big, dilated eyes

pinned ears

swatting with paws

turning head or body quickly

becoming stiff

scrunching head close to the body (neck disappears)

hunching to counter

grabbing with paws (looking to climb)

eyes darting around

trying to hide head

edging off exam table

hair standing up

shaking

rolling over

kicking with back feet

snapping jaws

shopping with my dad

finish vet vitals [short, short, shorter!]

talk about what audiology avenue I want to pursue [spend most time here]

I never did anything the easy way. Following my own path and taking my own, meandering route is just what I do. My journey to audiology was not a direct one. I veered through pre-veterinary studies before coming back around to my initial interest of helping people like my father.

This path was not time wasted though.

Every weekend of my childhood, my dad and I would go do the grocery shopping.  It was our special time together.  We went to a few stores, but the check-out process at each was always the same.  The friendly cashier would be pleased to see a father-daughter duo obviously enjoying each other’s company.  Maybe she would recognize us from weekends past and smile.  Seeing genuine affection and helpfulness was probably a welcome break from the normlacy of screaming and tantrums the employee encountered during the majority of the weekend.  My dad would proudly say “This is my good helper-girl.”

Then, the part I hated would arrive.  The checker would read out the total.  I didn’t hate this part because we couldn’t afford the items or even because my dad fussed at the price.  Neither of those things ever occurred.  What did happen was my Dad’s inevitable, “What?”  The checker would repeat the number, and I would be so embarrassed, knowing what was to come.  My dad still didn’t hear what amount he should write on his check.  My face would flush, and the poor cashier, desperate to get her lines moving, would eventually just turn the written numbers toward my dad so he could see his total for himself.  It is from that mortification that I felt, that I want to help people with hearing loss.  My compassion for my beloved dad motivates me to help others like him.

Growing up, I had no idea audiology existed.  Like most little girls, I was determined to be a veterinarian and work with animals.  Unknowingly, I was honing my communication skills especially non-verbal ones as my career trajectory led me toward veterinary medicine.  In my current job as an animal assistant at a feline exclusive veterinary hospital, I have to quickly asses cat temperaments so I can collect vitals and help with medical procedures.

The owners set the green cat carrier on the exam table and I announced I would be taking some vitals, in a cheery voice.  With my right hand I unlatched the door, and peered inside the cave.  Behind the worn towel was a crunched ball of orange and white fur.  Despite his large frame, Scrappy was trying to become as small as possible in order to evade the uncomfortable veterinary visit he was about to endure.  Unpreturbed, I reached in and scruffed Scrappy with confidence, tugging him toward the door and asking the owners to provide resistance by holding the kennel in place.  I joked that Scrappy was doing the “kitty splits” as he splayed his legs in all directions in a final attempt to remain in the safety of the box, which I’m sure he fought tooth and nail to not enter at home.

Finally extricated from the box, I suggested the owners take away temptation by putting the carrier on the exam room floor.  Scrappy, hunched to the counter, was still trying to be invisible to my probing hands.  His ears were pinned and his eyes were darting wildly searching for any escape route.  He tried to creep toward the edge of the counter and settled for burrowing his head under the crook of his mom’s arm as I fitted the stethoscope to my ears and took Scrappy’s heart rate–as expected it was accelerated.

Next, I needed to get Scrappy’s weight.  While asking the owners about the brand of food he ate, and his eating habits, I picked him up to get the number of pounds we were dealing with.  I could feel Scrappy’s body stiffen.  He was shaking with fear, and I knew if I did not leave him alone, which I couldn’t just yet, that given the chance, he would scratch or bite to get away from me.  While maintaining the conversation about Scrappy’s water consumption, I tried to scruff the chubby cat, but he defensively scrunched his head, making his neck disappear entirely.  I held him close to my body and well away from my face then kept my hand on him when I put him on the scale.

“15 pounds!” I announced as I carefully placed Scrappy back on the exam table.  He whipped around and I yanked my hands out of potential harm’s way.  Scrappy had a mind to bite me to get away, but after I gave him a moment held himself together.  I gave his ears a pet and he relaxed somewhat.  His owners cooed at him and gave him lovins and he settled down further.  I was pretty certain I could obtain a rectal temperature without him flying off the table in a fury.  As his owners were distracting him I eased up his tail and planted the thermometer.  Nine seconds can be so long!  At first, oblivious to what was going on behind him Scrappy soaked up the attention.  Then, he gave me a sideways glance, stiffened his posture, and I could see his hair begin to stand up.  He turned and swatted at me with his claws just as I removed the instrument.  ”100.5, right in the normal range!”  I sang out.  ”I’ll have the doctor in as soon as she is available.”

Using both verbal communication with the owners and non-verbal cues from the kitty I was able to obtain a history on the patient, collect quantitative data for the veterinarian, and soothe both people and pet.

The Personal Statement

Yup, I’m going to do it. Against my better judgement.  So before the good stuff, you get to read some MAJOR disclaimers.  I will post my favorite personal statement that I submitted with my most recent vet school application.

First off, I was not accepted to school.  Take that as you will.  I was exceptionally happy with the way this essay turned out, but the admissions committee might have hated it.  I hope reading it over will give someone an idea of how these statements go, the way to utilize space, and mostly to step out of the box and dare to be different from everyone else.  If nothing else, you can see what you DON’T want to do in your personal statement.

Disclaimer 2:  I was afraid someone would plegerize my work, but honestly, I can’t use the thing so someone might as well be inspired by it (hopefully). If you’re lame enough to steal my idea or copy it word for word–well, you know what you did. You will someday fail at life when there is no one left to copy. Also, I hope whichever school or program you turn in it to is smart enough to Google it and gets connected right back to my blog.  But really, don’t be a ball-sack and steal the idea or content.

Disclaimer 3:  Writing these are difficult and time consuming.  I started out by brainstorming all the possible ways I could make such a formulaic, relatively short piece, both contain all the pertinent information, mention things I wanted the committee to know, and be a little unique.  Once I had my idea, I wrote the first draft pretty quickly.  Then the editing began.  I think I had at least 20 drafts–maybe more.  Everyone I KNEW read and made corrections and comments.  Every.  Word.  Counts in these things.  There is not one single word that wasn’t scrutinized for clarity, flow, and meaning both explicit and implicit.  Many thanks to my boss (especially!), my mom, who has always been a great personal editor, and Cool for helping me with some of the best revisions.  But thanks to assorted Facebook contacts as well for reading it over and helping me improve it.

So without further ado, here is my latest Veterinary School Application Personal Statement in all it’s glory:

Veterinary medicine attracts the type of person who loves bodily fluids. In my years of experience I have not yet encountered a veterinarian who does not take great satisfaction in draining an abscess and seeing copious amounts of pus.  In my daily duties as a veterinary assistant, I see urine, vomit, and blood and never think twice. Many times I am adorned by those substances, yet I find it amusing.  As I learned during my employment, in addition to loving disgusting things, maintaining good humor is imperative in the veterinary profession.

 

I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of veterinary medicine and I still want to engage in it.  One Christmas Day, and I counted 128 dogs and cats staying at the hospital where I worked for the long weekend.  Before I pushed the heavy swinging door open, I heard the cacophony of barking canines.  Once inside, the pungent aroma was evident.  As you can imagine, it did not smell like flowers in the kennel rooms.  As the dogs realized they were about to be momentarily freed, their decibel would intensify.  Flashes of brindle, wheaten, and merle three stories high Riverdanced a metallic jig, eager to escape their steel cages.

 

Stressed to be away from their owners, the animals would display negative behaviors. Since the pets did not always cooperate, maintaining their health and welfare required a degree of levity. As I hustled to walk, clean, feed, and medicate the patients, I would imagine what it would be like to be in their position.  I decided the best representation of me as a hospitalized animal would be the highly energetic and strong personality of a terrier.  Like the stubborn terrier that yanks on the leash, even after he has been corrected numerous times, my drive to enter the veterinary profession remains undeterred. As evidenced by my continuous animal experience, my ambition to become an animal doctor and own a veterinary hospital has never waned. Even when I have been issued corrections to “become a dentist” from practical pre-veterinary guest speakers, I continue to bound down the veterinary career path.

 

While in his kennel, a terrier might take his food, piece by piece, out of the bowl and rearrange it around the floor in an attempt to make the space more conducive to his needs.  Being surprised with an explosion of food bits when changing the harmless towel was a pain that required extra sweeping, but I could certainly empathize. If I were confined to a cubicle or a situation that stifled my desires, I too, would take steps to change my scenery.  In fact, growing up in a state without a veterinary college restricted my dream. I realize veterinary schools give preference to residents, so at that juncture I rearranged my life piece by piece and moved to Missouri to enter a strong Animal Science program and pursue residency in a state with its own veterinary college. Though relocating was a major adjustment and, at times, as messy as food confetti, I do not regret my decision. I gained agricultural experience and knowledge that was unavailable to me in my home state.

 

My trajectory toward veterinary school was not just shaped by moves halfway across the country.  I encountered resistance even when I received that coveted letter of acceptance to veterinary school.  The week before I was supposed to matriculate, my loan fell through and I had to drop my seat in the class.  It was devastating, and I had to mindfully conjure a terrier whose spirit is difficult to break.  I thought of my favorite terrier who hated his complimentary baths and would miserably shake off the water the entire time, but would regain his characteristic zeal immediately after he was dry.  I vowed to gather up my resolve and “shake it off” as well.  Back at square one, I had the opportunity to move to any state with a veterinary program to pursue my goal. In the same way I chose Missouri for its agricultural advantages, I picked Washington State due to the excellent reputation of its veterinary program.

 

My musings of being a terrier aside, it was satisfying to leave the once complaining pets in the kennel rooms happy and treated.  If the job had started out simple, without mess or struggle, the end gratification would have been substantially smaller.  Analogous is my journey to veterinary medicine–acceptance to veterinary school in particular. At times, the task feels monumental, the road to success convoluted and bleak. I am persevering, realizing my dream of entering into private practice in a rural setting will bring the utmost satisfaction.

 

My prolonged journey allowed me to amass technical skills, garner coping mechanisms, and observe veterinarians in an array of practices in diverse regions. If I had been easily accepted into a program on my first attempt, I might not appreciate the career this much. It is not in spite of my long struggle that I am currently applying to veterinary school in Washington; it is because of the struggle I know I belong here.

Starbucks–I Demand You Hire Me!

I would be awesome.  I could be there at 4:30 or 5 AM, make coffee, and would even clean.  I could be your best employee ever.  Just give me a chance.

More and more I find myself getting disgruntled with my job–to the point I want to quit.  I fantasize about getting school loans to cover tuition and living expenses so I can just focus on my studies.  I wish I were dating someone with a good job who could take care of me.  I even wish there was some part-time waitress-type job I could get.  Anything that paid me better, respected my schedule, and wasn’t life-or-death kind of stress.

I got out of work late on my half day.  And the doctor I liked suggested I still clock out at the normal time even though I had to do-work related things later.  What???  How do you say that you feel more comfortable getting PAID when you are required to go somewhere for work without looking like a whiny or confrontational jerk?  This always happens too.  But just to me.  Heaven forbid our tech have to come in on her day off.  And no one dares to mess with the receptionist’s (super-early, and extended) lunch.  And both of them get long lunches if they are about to get over-time.  But me?  It’s just expected that I’ll come in early, lose a portion or all of my lunch time, and stay late.  They always disrespect the fact I get a half day–because I am the ONLY one who works every Saturday.  It’s my trade-off, getting one half day off to make up for working every Saturday.  But I’m always late for it, losing it all-together, or harassed about when it will be.  Even though I am always early on Saturday, do the cleaning no one else wants to do, and work really hard–by myself–on our busiest day.

And they (everyone!)  insists on over-scheduling me.  Since they know I can handle it, they will triple-book the slow doctor, squeeze an appointment in one 10-minute slot, or throw in 2 animals in the time it takes for 1.  It’s really annoying, and stresses me out.  I am only ONE person, no matter how hard I work.  I guess they don’t realize it means I have to get to work even earlier then I already do.  It means that I have to prepare everything I can ahead of time so it’s ready quickly when it’s needed.  No one cares.  It makes me run, run, run, and it makes the clients have to wait.  I HATE being over-booked.

And yet, I’m the lowest paid employee.  With 12 years of experience AND being the only one with a 4-year college degree, save for the vets, I’m still paid least.  Yeah, it makes me apprehensive to work my guts out more then anyone else like I tend to always do.  But I still do it.  Though I am getting less and less happy about it.

Especially now that this is not my life goal.  I could hang on before and know that I would staff differently, schedule differently, and run my hospital better when the time came.  I could really bare down and stress myself to the max, because I knew it would pay off some day.  I knew it would get me somewhere, and that one day my job would have meaning.  But now I’m just another body at work, and this is just a paycheck to me.  I can’t stand the drama, and the unfairness, and the stupidity.  It brings me down.  I feel like I’m getting stressed for nothing, because I’m wasting my time here.  But I’m stuck too.

I WISH I had any other skills.  If the economy was better–especially in this region, maybe I could do something else.  Something low stress, that pays me according to the skill involved.  I was looking at job postings, and all the veterinary-related jobs demanded SO much!  You have to work the long hours, including weekends, have a vast skill (technical skills!) set, ability to work as a tech and/or a receptionist, be dependable–so much is required.  And all of those jobs low-ball you on the wages.  I was looking at a dollar above minimum wage for all of that.  WTF veterinarians?  You.  Cheap.  Bastards.

If I can’t be a vet.  I.  Want.  Out.

Deadlines for AuD

I suppose I can extrapolate this information to 2013 as well.  All schools are probably consistent with their application deadlines.

1.] U of Northern CO

2-12-12

2.] Washington U in STL

2-15-12, but later apps are placed on a wait list

3.] SW MO U

1-15-12

4.] U of S FL

2-1-12

5.] Wichita, KS

2-1-12

6.] Arizona School of Health Sciences

7.] U of WI

2-1-12

8.] U of AZ in Tuscan

2-1-12

9.] Western MI U

2-1-12

10.] NE

9-15-12 to 2-1-12

11.] AZ st U in Phoenix

1-15-12

12.]  U of Akron in OH

2-1-12

13.] OH St U

2-1-12

14.] Vanderbilt U in Nashville TN

1-15-12

Questions About Audiology

At my very first official job shadow (for high school) in a veterinary hospital, we were required to ask a bunch of questions about the career.  At the time, I was a Junior in and had already been volunteering with the former local vet for 6 years.  Also, I had already been observing this new vet for 5-6 months.  So I already kind of knew what questions to ask a veterinarian–as well as a lot of information about the career.

With audiology, I do not have any experience.  I’m not even certain how to gain any (outside of a school program) and so I do not know what questions are appropriate.  And all I know about the career is what I’ve read online.  I’ll certainly have more to add later, but to amend that, here is a list of questions I generated for myself:

CAREER:

-How many years are most audiologists in school?

-Are there any specialties?  What are the requirements?

-what kinds of niches can an audiologist work in?

-What is the most under-served population or area for audiology?  The most popular?

-What is the most under-served location for audiology?  The most popular?

-What technical skills does an audiologist need?

-How much clinical experience do most audiologists have during school and immediately after graduation?

LICENSING:

-To get the AuD is there a big board certification test?

-If so, does this have to be taken in every state in order to practice there?

-Do audiologists have continuing education?

-What are the licensing requirements for the AuD?

-What fees are required to keep the AuD current?

DAY-TO-DAY:

-What is the daily routine?

-How many hours does an audiologist work on average?

-Do you ever miss lunches or stay late at the end of the day?

-Are audiologists called in for emergencies of any sort?

-Do audiologists work weekends?  What about holidays?

-How much does an audiologist work with the deaf community?

-how helpful is a knowledge of sign language?

-Does an audiologist need a background in psychology?

-How often do you need to council patient’s suffering emotionally because of their hearing loss?

-do audiologists own their own businesses?

-Are there physical aspects of the job?

-How often are audiologists at a desk and how often do they stand?

-Does audiology require travel to various work locations?

-What is the best aspect of the job?  The most difficult?

-What is the grossest thing encountered?

-Do audiologists have assistants/techs/staff or do they work independently?

-What percent of the time is an audiologist working with patients/clients/the public?

New Year’s Eve!

For some, it’s a day to stay up late and get drunk as all get out.  Well, I don’t like cold, can’t find a good place to dance, and can’t stay awake past 10 PM.  Being a night-owl party gal, even on a holiday, is just not in the cards for this girl.  For me, it is a time of quiet reflection and rearranging priorities.  I like New Year’s Eve, because it feels like a new beginning and second chance.  I take the day to re-group and motivate myself to improve for the next year.

REFLECTION of 2011:

2011 was about entertaining new goals.  I really put my all into the GRE test and vet school application, because I knew this was my last attempt to get into vet school.  In fact, months and months of the year were spent studying vocab, practicing math problems, writing essays, editing my personal statement, and reviewing my application.  I wanted to make sure I did my very best on every aspect so I could be satisfied no matter how things turned out.  Also, I really put a lot of thought into what else I might be able to do if vet school didn’t pan out again.  I thought it was time to grow up and find a realistic plan B.  It was the first time ever that I seriously imagined myself not being a veterinarian.

Other than that, I saved enough money to buy a car.  Rusty, my Isuzu Rodeo is the answer to my prayers.  I paid a reasonable amount for it, own it outright, and can use the 4 wheel drive as reliable transportation in the winter.  I sure love that car!  And I’m proud of myself for finding it, having the cash to pay for it, and getting myself a good vehicle at a decent price.

Cool and I had a little bit of a rocky year–at least compared to the ease with which our relationship floated along our first year together.  She was homesick last year during the holidays.  In April, despite being short on money, she wanted to visit Tacoma for her mom’s birthday and we fought about that.  That’s also when her mom turned against me.  Cool got laid off from her crummy job in the spring and it sent her into a pretty bad depression.  She left Spokane (and me) entirely in August.  It sounds like the most terrible relationship year ever, but other than those things (based mostly on a lonely, manipulative mother and her bipolar disorder) things were great as usual.

          I found out in December that I didn’t get into Pullman’s veterinary program, but by that time, I has done so much soul-searching and career brainstorming that it didn’t send me spiraling into a depression as it had in the past.  I’m OK with it–more than OK.  I have some viable options for careers, starting with Audiology.  Maybe this is what I’m meant to do instead of veterinary medicine.  I have signed up as a non-degree-seeking student so we’ll see how I like the hearing and speech professional avenues.  At any rate, I’m ready to move forward in my life.

Tomorrow, since it’s the first day of a new year, I’ll write my goals.

Garner the Letters of Recommendation

This is my absolute LEAST favorite portion of any application process.  I want to do things on my own.  I hate putting people out–especially ones in positions of authority who I do not know that well.  I also fear putting myself out on that limb and asking for a strong letter.  I would just be mortified if someone said no!  So here is my plan to cultivate the relationships that makes the letter-asking task a little less daunting.  I’m going to do it all differently this time around!

How to garner the letters of recommendation–strong ones from influential people, that is:

select courses with small class sizes

participate in class

be enthusiastic about subject matter

help other students

regularly attend office hours

take on optional projectsdo independant study or research w/potential writer if possible

pick professors who write well, not necessarily super-popular or very successful ones.

take more classes with professors likely to write the strong letters

Ask for the letters at least 6 weeks in advance

provide the writer with info about me

My Strengths Just Don’t Match Their Emphasis

Well, I just received my big vet school letter today–and I wasn’t accepted to Pullman’s Veterinary program.  Honestly, once you’ve gotten the rejection letter 8 times (I was accepted twice) it isn’t all that heart-wrenching anymore.  Of course, the veterinary dream has defined me for so long, it’s a huge turning point for me.  Though, after working in the veterinary field for so long, I am attuned to all of the pitfalls.  I would have been GREAT at overcoming them.  I had practical expectations about becoming a vet.  I would have had so much heart and dedication to the career.  But the vet schools don’t accept people like me.  I feel like it’s more a hit to the profession than my ego.

I can be really good at something else.  AND not have to go into debt for the rest of my life.  Also, I can’t say I’m too disappointed to get some weekends and holidays off.  I won’t miss some really crummy support staff, I won’t miss rich girls that got into school so easily only to have babies after a year and work one day a week.  I won’t miss irresponsible pet owners or the really high maintenance, entitled ones.  So as much as I love the profession, and think I would be well-suited for it–there are things I am happy to live without.  I’m mostly thinking about my family and hometown who know me as the girl who dreamed of being a vet for so long.  I feel they will be disappointed.  That is who I am to them.  Just the girl who wanted to be a vet since she was little.  Now, to them, I’m the girl who failed.

At least I know.  I can start my life and move on to bigger and better things.  I don’t want to tech all my life.  I want my work to MATTER.  Whatever I do, I want to make a difference and be an integral part of the equation–not just a body.  So now that it doesn’t matter to me, I’ll share my admissions personal statement and stuff.  I only hope they can help my readers–along with that HIGHLY IMPORTANT 4.0 GPA.