the DVM life - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Today was a fun day. (Well after I finally got to school. It was -4 degrees this morning and my car was frozen over. There was even ice on the freaking inside of my windows. Which I couldn't scrape because my scraper was too flat for the concave surface. So I had to sit there and defrost for 15 minutes. While my breakfast froze to the roof of my car. And on the way to school it was negative 12 degrees. When I walked to class my nose hairs froze).

Anyways...

Today was fun because I got to study with my friends at Starbucks off campus (since we were in a section that didn't have the lab). We had a good time and made lots of jokes about action potentials (neuroscience) and studied for the quiz that day.

School is a-buzz with the class of 2013 candidates coming to interview. I vividly remember being in their shoes. Being nervous, wondering what the interview would be like, being in awe of the actual vet students, wondering if I would make the cut. It was a nice reminder of where I've been and how far I've come.

The place where they store the waiting applicants is pretty central to classes, so we get to walk by and see the newbies. I like talking to them. Some of them are happy and excited. More of them are jittery and nervous. They have to write an essay while waiting, so a handful of them are furiously scribbling things down on a clip board. Ahhh, I remember that.

I'm kind of shallow and have a critical eye for interview attire (I've been very well trained in appropriate attire. I was a knock-out business woman for my interview - when I walked in they actually said "Wow, that's a great suit!") So I have high standards for what to wear to such an important interview.

My stance is that an applicant is there to impress the committee and should take every step possible to do so. Sure, you should be judged on your intellect and capabilities alone. But face it, impressions are important. Leave a good one - not a half assed one. So my lab mates have heard a stream of interview outfit critique.

Some basic things. Do the sit test. Make sure your hems are long enough. For God's sake, if you're wearing a skirt sit accordingly. Don't have hair falling into your eyes. Cut your nails. Don't slouch. Looking like you're at a Trump board room meeting and carry youself like a future doctor.

Ok, off soap box. It's just that I took my interview seriously and I'm embarrassed for people who don't.

Anyhoo, so it was nice to see all the newbies! It's a magical thing to be on the other side of the fence. In the evening there was a pizza mixer! I remember going to that last year. I didn't really know anyone. It was crowded and I couldn't tell who were students and who were applicants. I kind of stood in a corner and tried to talk to people. Then some first years came along and talked to me! I asked them all sorts of questions like how they liked school, if it was as scary as people say, where they lived. It was cool and I was in awe. They were livin' the dream.

Now I'm that student! I made sure to talk to everyone who was standing in a corner looking lost. I tried to set them at ease, make them feel better about the process, let them know that the light on the end of the tunnel is as good as it looks.

The mixer was held at a large meeting space with windows overlooking the campus and the vet med parking lot. As I was talking I looked outside and remembered one year ago. It was also cold. We had a difficult time just finding the vet med parking lot. I was there with my red backpack, interview clothes inside from my interview earlier, holding my coat and a can of rootbeer. The whole school looked foreign and I hoped they would let me in! I wondered if I would get to come back next year and share my stories with the next cycle....

I would like to come back as a second year, a third year, and a fourth year! It's such a poignant reminder of how much work, hope, and anxiety went into the whole process. If I had to lay words towards this emotion, I would hesitantly suggest a mix of pride for all the work I put in, gratitude for this opportunity to live my dream, and excitement for the next group to coming to their full circle. I should take a breath and just be thankful of where I am. I know there's a whole pool of applicants who would love to experience this unique nostalgia, one year from now.

It's truly a full circle. Last year I received my invitation to interview on Chinese New Year. Not any new year, it was *my* year --- year of the Rat. Now today is Chinese New Year again and I'm reflecting back on the process. A magical year indeed and I am see I have been very blessed.