Written by: Jamie Selman PC14
Surprisingly, I do not have the typical story of most
college veterinary students who have known since a young age that they wanted
to be veterinarians. My memories as a young child would be more
accurate if I were sitting on the couch watching my younger sister give our dog
a checkup with a toy stethoscope. My sister and I have always loved
animals. She wanted to be a veterinarian all her life, while I didn’t even
think of it as a career option until my senior year of high school. I became
interested in veterinary medicine after my dog started having thyroid problems
and was seemingly at the vet every other week. I spent a lot of time in
the clinic with her and soon called local veterinarians to see if I could come
in and shadow them at their offices.
When I was looking at schools to apply for undergrad,
Mizzou peaked my interest. It had a program called “Pre-Veterinary Medical
Scholars” which was essentially a pre-acceptance into Mizzou’s vet school if I
was accepted as a high school student. I was accepted late in my senior
year of high school, and consequently decided to attend Mizzou.
During my undergrad I have been fortunate enough to
shadow at Mizzou’s vet school and experience hands-on participation as
an Animal Science major. I have gotten a lot of practical experience and
knowledge about livestock animals throughout my coursework and have had the
privilege to view a tie back surgery on a Budweiser Clydesdale. Every week I am
thankful to handle and learn more about live animals, and that is unprecedented
to any other major at Mizzou. Although it is a challenging and time
consuming path, I truly believe every second of hard work will be worth it in
the end. It is bittersweet that my undergrad years are coming to a
close, but I know the real journey is starting next year.
After diligently completing all of
my pre-vet scholar requirements I was accepted into the University of Missouri
College of Veterinary Medicine for the fall of 2016! I am so excited to
start my journey in becoming a veterinarian. After I graduate in four
years I hope to do a surgical internship and eventually open my own small
animal practice. Most of all, I am excited to have the opportunity in working
every day to advocate for animals that do not have a voice to speak for
themselves.
