Summer after first year....

[Horserider47yt]

I'm currently dealing with the dilemma of figuring out what to do this summer. Unlike some, I haven't quite nailed down one specific area of interest, and it's making the decision-making process a bit challenging.

I'm curious to hear about your experiences. What did you all do the summer after your first year? Did you dive deep into a specific field or take a more relaxed approach? I feel like I'm at a crossroads and could use some inspiration!

Deciding whether to focus on school or take a break is another thing to consider. Did anyone just take the entire summer off? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[Mythical]

Here is an idea for how to spend 1-2 weeks of the summer:

RAVS: WELCOME

www.ruralareavet.org

I highly encourage vet students to learn s/n and anesthesia basics (you will learn how to intubate and place catheters on RAVS trip) as early in their time at school as possible.

 

[battie]

I worked in the diagnostic lab business office making $10/hr filing reports. Easiest money I've ever made.

You could absolutely ask department heads if you could hang out in the departments you might be interested in on a rotating basis.

You could go on a cross country driving trip from Disneyland to Disney World.

Find research opportunities.

 

[max_wildlife]

seconding the recommendation for RAVS - I did it the summer between second and third year, and I wish I would've done it earlier on. one of my favorite veterinary experiences so far.

 

[Dogtor P]

10/10 recommend using your summers to extern at different places. Minimum 2 weeks. Bonus if they pay. The longest I stayed somewhere was a month. I’m now in 4th year and feel like I’ve learned so much and have a lot to look at in terms of contracts.

 

[birbtime]

10/10 recommend using your summers to extern at different places. Minimum 2 weeks. Bonus if they pay. The longest I stayed somewhere was a month. I’m now in 4th year and feel like I’ve learned so much and have a lot to look at in terms of contracts.

How did you find places to extern, espescially paid? Just call around?

 

[Georgethecat]

How did you find places to extern, espescially paid? Just call around?

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Check out SVP. UGA should have a student representative to chat with as well.

 

[Dogtor P]

How did you find places to extern, espescially paid? Just call around?

It was a combination of efforts. I tried to send most of them an “interest” email after stopping by their tables at job fairs. If that wasn’t an option, I would look at practices close to home or wherever it was I planned on spending my Summers. I wanted to be able to learn, but also maintain a social life at least on the weekends. Asking for compensation can be a little tricky—just need to word it appropriately and be prepared to talk about your skills or goals for visiting their practice.

 

[battie]

How did you find places to extern, espescially paid? Just call around?

Be prepared that most privately owned clinics will likely not be able to pay you to extern. They'd likely pay you to work as an assistant or tech, though.

If these externships are for grades through school, double check you can be paid. When I was at Illinois (16-21), we could not be paid for externships during clinical year

 

[Minnerbelle]

I would vote for doing any activity that will allow you to develop some sort of contact/relationship with faculty members at your institution. Even if you’re not sure, those relationships can be really helpful in getting you connected to other opportunities down the line, and may also lead to excellent LORs for employment or the Match down the road.

 

[Dogtor P]

Be prepared that most privately owned clinics will likely not be able to pay you to extern. They'd likely pay you to work as an assistant or tech, though.

If these externships are for grades through school, double check you can be paid. When I was at Illinois (16-21), we could not be paid for externships during clinical year

I will say it can be a little more challenging to find privately owned practices that will pay for externships (outside of clinical year), but it CAN be done. I am a good example of someone who has externed at 4+ privately owned practices and was paid. We are very valuable and serve as investments. Get paid for your time, efforts, and knowledge if you can. Don’t do something you’re good at for free if you can help it.