As a normally shy person, I was scared of going to Tufts to explore my interest in being a vet. However, the community there made me feel very welcome. From the counselors and the RCs to the friends I made, my time there became so enjoyable. In the AVM (Adventures in Veterinary Medicine) program, there were so many incredible experiences.
My favorite experience was when we went to the New England Aquarium and got to see what it was like to be an aquatic vet. There’s so much you can do with a vet degree, and I love how this program made me realize my interest in ocean animals. I never would have thought of that before. Besides that, we also went to the Franklin Park Zoo where we could see all the animals, as well as go on a private tour of the animal hospital there. It was so interesting to see what it was like in a nontraditional animal hospital with only dogs and cats.
Speaking of dogs and cats, we got to see some at Tufts! There was a special experience where we got to meet therapy dogs, and it was so relaxing to pet dogs while talking to their owners about them. Did you know that mini horses can also be therapy animals? It was so cool to pet a mini horse. Also, the vet students at Tufts use beagles to practice their work, and we got to pretend we were doing a check-up on them and, of course, give them some cuddles. At the Grafton campus, the animals we saw were chickens, horses, and sheep. We got to practice tipping the sheep which is done when a large animal vet goes to a farm and needs to get them to relax so they can do their work on them.
The classes we had were very insightful because we learned from actual vet students, small animal vets, specialty vets, and large animal vets. I really liked the ophthalmologist that came in because it was very different from what a small animal vet would do, and it reminded me that there’s so many different jobs for vets. We saw videos of eye surgeries which were pretty interesting to see. We even went to the med school to see how there’s a crossover between med and vet practice. The best part was seeing the human body parts because, as a person who can deal with seeing gory things and likes doing dissections, it was amazing to see. The doctor told us so much about the brain that interested me and had me wanting to learn more. I also enjoyed seeing the other body parts, but it was amazing to see the heart and the pacemaker that went with it.
In addition, we went to Great Brook farm where we got to learn about dairy production and how the cows were raised there. We got to learn about a guy who used camera traps to take pictures of animals, and we got to see some of the pictures he’s taken, which was so cool because he has seen so many amazing animals from foxes to bobcats, to otters. The best part of the farm though was their homemade ice cream, which I enjoyed a lot.
Every student was put in a group for our big group project. There was about thirty minutes a day to work on it, and we had to collaborate on ideas for an animal with an issue. We had to determine things like what questions we would ask the owner, what could have caused the issue, what tests we could do, and how we would fix it. I liked doing this a lot because it made us kind of change the role of student to vet and imagine what it would be like to be a real vet. At the end of the second week, we got to share with our classmates and our families what we learned. I liked getting to hear what other animal cases my friends and other students had, and it helped to hear from my peers.
Not only was the program itself fun, but the campus was great too. I felt good about my rooming arrangement. The dining hall was great, I went there every meal, and I loved how much of a variety of food there was. Also, every girl’s favorite coffee shop is on campus, so I would get Starbucks every few days. I even went to the gym for the first time and was glad there was one there, so I could try something new. There were two movie nights and I went to both. I had never seen Pitch Perfect or 10 Things I Hate About You so I was glad they were showing them. There’s also a park area I would go to almost every day to read. The area seemed safe enough to go on walks so I did many times. There was also a tour to Fenway I went on and enjoyed a lot, even though there was a lot of rain, it was cool to see.
I’ve always wondered if being a vet would be right for me. The Tufts Pre-College AVM Program has helped me confirm I want to be a vet because it showed a lot of what vets do and what their experiences are like. Since I live in Mass, I had the choice of being residential or commuting. I’m glad I chose to stay on campus because it helped me feel what it’s like to be a college student. It helped me be independent for two weeks and make some new friends. I enjoyed the activities that were on campus, as well as the Starbucks and gym. My time in the program was amazing, and I learned so much from so many wise, experienced people. It was so cool to see so many animals from farms, to the zoo, to the aquarium.
I’d recommend this to anyone who’s looking for something fun to do this summer, wants to see if Tufts is the right school for them, or is trying to figure out what they want to study in college.