In the shadow of the great numbers of pre-medical students--who are aided by vast institutional networks--the few but proud pre-veterinary students at Harvard look at the resources of the pre-medical track with a mixture of envy and bemusement.
According to the Association of American Veterinary Medical College (AAVMC), the 27 veterinary schools in the United States received 6,634 applicants and enrolled 2,283 first-year students in the 1995-1996 academic year, making their admissions numbers comparable to those of medical schools.
But Harvard pre-veterinary students say the resources available to them through the University are definitely not comparable to those available to pre-medical students.
Pre-veterinary students say that while Harvard administrators have done their best to help prepare them for the competition, "initiative" is still an essential trait they must possess. For example, students must line up the necessary animal experience required by veterinary schools without any official counseling.
Elizabeth L. Gordan '98, who decided during the second semester of her junior year to become a small animal veterinarian, and who will attend the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School next year, says she relied on a Harvard alumnae who is now a veterinary student at Tufts University for advice. However, Gordan says she wishes she had more people in the field to talk to.
"It would have been nice if the pre-vet club had still been around," Gordan says.
Back in the Day
Harvard had a pre-veterinary club briefly between 1993 and 1996, and its history reflects the hit-and-miss nature of support groups for fields which draw students from outside the pre-professional tracks of academia, law, medicine, consulting or investment banking.
Alan M. Glazer '96, a former biology concentrator, who is now at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, recalls the dilemma he faced as a high school senior in 1992, when he had to choose between Harvard and Cornell University, which has an established pre-veterinary program and school. Glazer says he ultimately chose Harvard for tworeasons: the faculty in Harvard's biologydepartment told him he could either be one of manypre-veterinary students at Cornell, or "stand out"as one of the only ones at Harvard. Secondly,Glazer says he had heard that a pre-vet club wasforming, so he would still be able to get somesupport. The pre-vet club did not form until hissophomore year. In his junior year, Glazer becamethe student coordinator of the group. "It was less an active club than a body ofstudents who were interested in veterinarymedicine," Glazer recalls. Former Lyman Professor of Biology C. RichardTaylor, who was also former director of theConcord Field Station, a research laboratory inConcord, Mass., served as a mentor to the group.During Glazer's veterinary school applicationprocess in his senior year, he wrote to all theveterinary schools in the U.S. and distributed theschools' brochures to the club's members. Theclub, which had a membership of about 12, alsoorganized trips to places like the New EnglandRegional Primate Center and veterinary schoolssuch as Tufts. However, the club did not last past Glazer'sgraduation. "I knew the pre-vet club ended the minute Istepped out the door," Glazer says. According to Glazer, the club suffered a seriesof blows during his senior year--the club couldnot maintain much contact with the one person whowished to become the next coordinator, because shewas taking the semester off in Australia, and theHarvard Medical School computer in which the clubmaintained veterinary school information crashed. Professor Taylor, who had been integral indispensing veterinary information to Harvardundergraduates, also died suddenly of a heartattack in September, 1995. Without a permanentoverseeing mentor, the club disintegrated. Harvard's Limited Resources Lee Ann Michelson, the Office of CareerServices (OCS) health careers adviser, says theveterinary school application process, unlike themedical school one, is a decentralized systemwhere information is hard to come by. Michelson says the decentralized system hasaffected the advising available in the variousundergraduate Houses. "When I ask pre-med tutors who are the pre-vetsin their houses, they don't know," she says. Michelson vividly recalls an admissionsdirector from the Cornell veterinary school whocame to speak at Harvard last year. "There were eight people sitting around saying,`Oh, I thought I was the only one. I didn't knowthere were other pre-vets at Harvard.' There was nocompetitive feeling, the atmosphere was verycollaborative," she says. Michelson says it is also difficult for her tocater to the pre-veterinary population at Harvardbecause she doesn't know how many potentialpre-veterinary students exist at the College. "Pre-vets are not necessarily dependent on theUniversity. A student can have faculty and vetsupervisors directly send letters of reference tovet schools [unlike the Dean's letter ofevaluation necessary for pre-meds], so it's hardto get numbers," Michelson says. Michelson says she is often unaware of whoexactly the pre-veterinary students are becauseshe does not write their letters of recommendationor receive feedback from them. Furthermore, unlikemedical school applicants, Michelson says she doesnot receive data about successful veterinaryschool applicants, with which she can drawconclusions about the average pre-veterinary GPA,for instance. A Solitary Struggle In the meantime, however, this year's seniorshave gone forward in their pre-veterinary paths,aided for the most part by themselves. Tabitha A. Shanies `98, who is headed forCornell University's College of VeterinaryMedicine, says she was aware that Harvard did notgraduate many future veterinarians from thebeginning. "I could have majored in animal studies atCornell and tracked myself," says Shanies, whoplans to be a "wildlife or exotic animals"veterinarian. "[But] I wanted a well-roundededucation. I don't think I expected Harvard tohave that little knowledge of the profession,though. There really was none." Shanies says that while her House office triedto be helpful, for instance, they had noexperience in dealing with pre-veterinarystudents. "It was really difficult being pre-vet atHarvard," Shanies says. "No one really knows whatto tell you, whether you need VCATs orsubject-specific GREs, for instance." Jane Remeika `98, who will be taking a year offbefore applying to veterinary school beforeattaining her ultimate goal of working in a "zooor wildlife rescue center," says she remembersattending meetings for the pre-veterinary club,but that the club did not last long enough for herto take full advantage of it. "A pre-vet club would have helped to findinternships and research opportunities," saysShanies, who wound up getting her internships bygoing through the phone book. C. Langdon Fielding '98, an equestrian who isheaded to veterinary school at the University ofCalifornia at Davis, came to Harvard thinking thathe would become an investment banker or abusinessman--"something usual," he recalls. "When I got to Harvard, I'd heard about thepre-vet club, but by the time I became interestedin becoming a vet, it wasn't something people knewmuch about anymore," Fielding says. "The biggest complaint I have is that it's hardto have anyone to talk to," he says. During the application process, Fielding sayshe felt very much alone, and that being referredto pre-medical tutors was not very helpful, sincehe feels that pre-med tutors could not give adviceon whether having more small animal or equineexperience was better, for instance. "I definitely understand if Harvard doesn'thire a pre-vet adviser at OCS [because of thesmall numbers,] but it would be nice if there wasone house tutor who could be responsible to thewhole college and maybe organize a pre-vet club,which wouldn't fluctuate based on studentinvolvement," Fielding says. The Pre-Vet Club The wish for the resurrection of apre-veterinary club is a theme that comes upsrepeatedly in interviews. Shana L. Ellenberg `97, an off-campusbiochemistry tutor in Adams House currentlyattending Tufts University School of VeterinaryMedicine, says she wishes there were more tutorswho could advise pre-veterinary students. "It would be nice if pre-med tutors could knowa little about vet schools or could refer you tosomeone who knows," Ellenberg says. "I want to letpeople know it's an option, because I didn't haveany." "If I could be around a lot more, that is whatI would do," Ellenberg says, lamenting heroff-campus status. The current pre-veterinary resources availableat OCS include "veterinary school catalogues,books on vet school admissions requirements andguidebooks on applying to veterinary school,"according to Michelson. They make up only severalbooks that sit atop part of a shelf in the readingroom of OCS. However, Michelson says she is devoting herefforts to increasing the pre-veterinary resourcesat OCS. She has compiled an alumni list forcontacts, and has obtained 12 names thus far. "I came here a little less than three years agoand noticed there weren't many resources forpre-vet students on the shelves," she says. "We'vebeen updating since then." But OCS does have its limitations, Michelsoncautions. "I don't think there are enoughresources for anything. Any college studentservices can use more resources-more start, biggerbuildings, etc., she says. "[But] I would love forthere to be another pre-vet group that would workwith me, and have alumni come and talk." In any case, Michelson says that having theHarvard name helps. "It's unusual for vet schoolsto have a student from Harvard," Michelson says."So they notice." Rebecca Russo, director of admissions at TuftsUniversity School of Veterinary Medicine, says heroffice receives four or five applicants fromHarvard each year. Russo says Harvard studentshave the same chances of admission as any otherapplicant but are aided by the Harvard reputation. "Obviously, the committee knows that Harvardhas a strong [science] program," Russo says. It's Never Too Late Whether or not there is adequate counseling ora pre-vet club, however, Quincey R. Simon `92, nowa first-year student at Tufts' veterinary school,says it is never too late to decide to go toveterinary school. Simon, a former archaeologyconcentrator, graduated without knowing anyone whowas pre-vet and had only taken one pre-vetrequirement class. "When I graduated, I didn't know what to do,and I took a job doing archaeological fieldwork ata laboratory in Los Alamos [New Mexico]," shesays. During the first summer Simon was there, sheacquired a puppy who needed shots and began tovolunteer at the local veterinary hospital.Deciding she wanted to go to veterinary school,Simon switched from doing archaeological fieldworkto carrying out DNA sequencing for the HumanGenome Project, which was studied in the samelaboratory complex. Simon also completed herpre-vet requirements at the University of NewMexico and the Harvard Extension School. "[After veterinary school] I'll probably get anMBA and go back into biotechnology," Simon says."There are a lot of veterinary pharmaceuticalsthat are starting up, I'd like to be a part ofthat. It seems to be a small field and prettylucrative." A Popular Profession Most pre-vets anticipate large veterinaryschool tuition debt, and with the average startingsalary around $29,000 for practicingveterinarians, aspiring pre-vets say they'recertainly not in it for the money. But none of thestudents interviewed say they have secondthoughts. In fact, Glazer says the profession has manyrewards. "The animals are an instant bond," hesays. "I guess people love the people who takecare of their animal." Gordan emphasizes the diverse and quirkyexperiences that a vet can have. "You might find yourself in the company of apotbellied pig named "Lolita" or get called by ahysterical artist whose rottweiler got into hispurple paint," Gordan says. "As far as I'mconcerned veterinary medicine will take you veryinteresting places."
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