In this blog post, I will share the process of how I prepared for veterinary school and what I learned, focusing on my academic efforts, club activities, volunteer experiences, and college career plans during high school.
High School Experiences and Activities (Science Inquiry Study Group)
In my senior year of high school, with about five months left until the CSAT, I organized a study group. Since the exam was approaching, I had nearly finished the curriculum for the major subjects and it was time to focus on the Science Inquiry subjects, which were relatively less critical. Since the number of elective Science Inquiry subjects had been reduced to two starting with our class, the academic burden was lighter; however, the difficulty of the questions had increased accordingly, requiring more in-depth study. Therefore, I believed it would be more effective to study with friends rather than tackling this on my own. Three of us from the same class formed a study group, and we agreed to help each other only with the essential parts rather than meeting too frequently. First, the three of us all shared the common goal of applying to schools and departments that require Biology 2 and Chemistry 2. Since these were designated subjects, we set the goal of getting a grade 1 without fail. Since we had already covered the entire curriculum once, we didn’t hold study sessions focused on content review. Instead, we chose a problem book together, set a daily quota, solved the problems individually, and then analyzed the more difficult ones together. We also made sure to prepare mock exam questions once a month, setting a specific time for all of us to take them together. Taking these mock exams was particularly helpful for each of us because there was a clear difference between solving problems alone against the clock and taking a test together with others. When taking a test alone, I would get bored halfway through and lose focus, but when taking a test as if competing with other friends, I found myself working harder simply because I was conscious of those around me. Also, since we took turns grading each other’s work, the pressure increased, and I tried to avoid making even a single mistake so as not to fall behind. By studying together, checking each other’s work, and grading one another in this way, we were able to achieve good grades in Science Inquiry through friendly competition.
Animal Welfare Activities (Health Room Assistant)
Our school offered a variety of on-campus volunteer programs to help high school students fulfill their required volunteer hours. There was a program where students could earn volunteer credits by performing designated roles for as long as they wanted in various school facilities, such as the WEE Class counseling room, the health room, the faculty office, and the security office. So, I applied to volunteer in the health room and took turns with other friends to serve as health assistants. Usually, when working as health assistants, we formed a team of two with another student during the same shift. Most of our work involved cleaning and organizing supplies. Cleaning included disinfecting the interior of the health room, storing medications in their designated cabinets, and shaking out or washing the bed covers. We divided other tasks among ourselves, but washing the bed covers required two people, so we worked together. We started by removing the covers from three of the four beds in the infirmary and began the laundry. We did this so that if a sick student came in while we were cleaning, there would still be one bed available for them. Then, the two of us would hold the ends of the three covers, shake off the dust outside, and then go back to the laundry area to put them in the washing machine before moving on to other tasks. When organizing records, we divided the work and responsibilities among ourselves and helped each other. We often checked general physical examination records and infirmary visit records; one student would write the information directly on the documents, while the other would take them and enter the data into the computer. In particular, since the physical examination records were sent to each homeroom teacher to be used as actual student activity records, there was absolutely no room for error. Therefore, even after entering the data into the computer, we would double-check the records together to ensure nothing was missing or incorrect. By dividing the work and cooperating in this way, the two of us were able to faithfully carry out the health assistant duties, which would have been too burdensome for one person alone.
University Studies and Career Plans
My motivation for applying to the veterinary medicine program stems from the fact that I have raised animals myself and have a deep interest in them. A veterinarian’s heart is to protect animals as much as they are loved, and to treat them as much as they are protected; I applied because I believe I possess this motivation and can become a good veterinarian. After entering university, I will build on this passion and conduct research in various fields to become a more specialized medical professional. Among these areas, I am particularly interested in “Veterinary Virology and Infectious Diseases.” While humans are currently facing challenges from infectious diseases such as the Ebola virus, the veterinary field inherently deals with even more hygiene and bacterial issues. Since animals can easily die from even small viruses or infectious diseases, I believe research into vaccine development is urgently needed to address this problem. Furthermore, I believe this research will go beyond simply benefiting animals and will also contribute to the prevention of infectious diseases in humans. To this end, I will diligently study relevant subjects such as animal genetics and immunology starting from my pre-veterinary studies. Building on this foundation, once I become a veterinary student, I will independently develop a curriculum plan for animal infectious disease research spanning from my first to fourth year and systematically complete it. First, during my freshman year, I will study everything there is to know about the animal body and its physiological organs through foundational courses such as veterinary anatomy, bacteriology, and physiology. In my sophomore year, I will lay the groundwork for infectious disease research through courses in veterinary virology, parasitology, toxicology, and pharmacology. In my third year, I will take “Veterinary Virology and Infectious Diseases,” a course directly related to my desired research field, to explore topics for my thesis. During the second semester of my third year, I will participate in a practical training course in veterinary virology and infectious diseases to explore the potential for becoming a vaccine research specialist. By the time I graduate, I will have studied veterinary pharmacology and pharmacotherapy and will have formulated a career plan to work at a vaccine research institute.
