Vet Tech to Zookeeper?

Is it really that hard to get into Vet school? How about Vet tech? How long does it take?

• I have been told that it is harder to get into Vet school than it is to get into a medical school. Is this true? I was also told since I dropped out of school (I do have a GED) and messed up my high school transcript that I would never be accepted into a Vet school. Is this true? I also hear that Vet techs are very under paid for a degreed profession. Please tell me how much you make as a Vet tech? How many years does it take to become a Vet or a tech? Please add as much info as possible. This is and has always been my dream job but I've heard nothing but discouraging things. Thanks in advance for your time!

• Answer:

  Ok, lots of questions. Let's start with becoming a Vet. Becoming a Vet takes a lot of hard work and is not easy. To become a Vet you first need to finish an undergraduate degree, then apply to Vet school. There isn't a specific undergraduate degree you need, but many vet students have bachelor's degrees in biology or one of it's subfields. Some universities have a pre-professional program for students who want to go to Med/Vet/Dental/etc school. Most undergraduate degrees take four years to finish but many people take five years or more. Once you finish your undergraduate, you apply to get into vet school. Admission toVet school is extremely competitive. There are only 28 Vet schools in the U.S. and each school only takes a set amount of students. And yes, it is actually easier to get into Med school than Vet school. The joke around Vet schools is "What do you call someone who can't get into/flunked out of Vet School? An M.D." To get into Vet school, you need a high GPA (as close to a 4.0 as possible), you will need to take a standarized test called the GRE and score well on that, and you will usually have to write an essay. Once you get in, Vet school takes 4 years. Three years of classes and one year on clinical rotations/externships. Once you graduate, you will need to take national and state boards before you are licensed to pratice. I wouldn't necessarily say that you would never get into vet school becuase you dropped out of high school but you may not be very well prepared for college and subsequently stuggle with you grades. Having a low GPA in udergraduate will most definately keep you aout of Vet school. Say you do go to college, work your butt off and keep your grades up, you may use this to your favor. If you do have to write an essay and/or interview for vet school admission, you can talk about how you struggled in high school then got your act together and dedicated yourself to school and becoming a Vet. Vet schools will want to see that you are serious about vet school. As far as vet techs, yes they are very underpaid, as are Vets, compared to their couterparts in human medicine (physicians and nurses). A lot of it depends on where you live. Here in Wisconsin, most vet techs start out under or close to $20,000 with very little difference between those with four year degrees compared to those who don't. Of course cost of living is less than say places like NYC or L.A. so you would probably make more money there. Also, as far as preparing for being a vet tech, some colleges have vet tech programs where you will get a 4 year degree and then become a certified/registered vet tech. (different states use different terminology but it all equals the same thing). Being a certified vet tech may earn you more money in salary but it probably won't be much. Also, if you are certified, you will probably have more responsibilities. That being said, you do not have to be certified to be a vet tech. I know some vet techs that never went to college. They got a lot of on the job training. Obvisouly, they get paid less than certified vet tech are you may have a harder time finding a job, but it is possible. Good luck.