Crankin’ Competition #1 & 2

On November 5, 2010 I competed in my first rock climbing competition. The Crankin’ Competition is a series of three rock climbing competitions that take place every year at the Rocknasium in Davis, California. Climbers from near and far gather at the gym to get their hands on over 50 brand new climbing routes and Read More …

Vet School Admissions: A Profile of the “Average” Accepted Vet Student

I’ll be the first to admit that I love statistics. In fact, I used to work for a company in Los Angeles doing statistical analysis on a daily basis. I like numbers and analyzing them as i think they can tell you a great deal of information about the population you’re looking at. So let’s Read More …

Thank You and Farewell 2010!

As the hours left in the year 2010 dwindle down, I would like to reflect upon this year and how absolutely amazing it has been! Surely there were some difficult times for me and my loved ones, but we have fought through and I am confident that 2011 will be even better than 2011! 2010 Read More …

A First Year’s Guide to UCD SVM: Winter Term Books & Classes

You’ve probably heard rumors that Winter term is the most difficult term of first year at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. But please don’t worry, I definitely did not find this term to be more difficult than fall term. You’ve already survived a term, you are clearly learning how to study in Read More …

Vet School Myths Debunked: Men Are Guaranteed Admission

There’s no denying it, there is a paucity of men in vet school. Years ago, the veterinary profession was dominated by men, but more recently women have emerged as the future of veterinary medicine, accounting for 80% or more of veterinary students at the present time. You would think with such an uneven gender distribution Read More …

Student Debt: How Much Does Veterinary School Cost?

What if I told you that for many people it costs over $200,000? Are you scared yet? Shocked? I certainly hope so, because I was. When I left graduate school and began my journey to veterinary school I had no idea that vet school would cost that much and get me that much into debt, Read More …

Getting Your Research Published

Anyone in the field of veterinary medicine should be familiar with PubMed, a free, searchable database of published research. We, as students and researchers, access these databases frequently when doing background research for an upcoming proposal, research project, or school assignment among other things. While I am accustomed to searching through the literature and citing Read More …

Training Your Cat

Anyone out there who has a cat is probably reading the title of this and laughing. Go ahead, laugh, but fact of the matter is, cats are highly intelligent creatures and very trainable! I acquired my first cat in 2008. Kali was adopted from the Pasadena Humane Society in Southern California when she was about Read More …

Post-Application: Update Schools With Your Progress

Here is one piece of advice I strongly recommend: Subsequent to your VMCAS submission, upon completion of the Fall term, write up a formal letter and print it on resume paper. Include the following information in your letter: Indicate that you are an applicant for admission to the vet school at whatever school you are Read More …

An Average Week in the Life of a Vet Student

I realize there are a lot of people who are curious as to what an average day is like for a vet student. Fact of the matter is: there are no average days  in vet school, at least not at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. At best we have an expectation that Read More …