<p>My daughter wants to be a vet, and sometimes it seems as if both her and her dad do NOT comprehend the importance of what she does NOW. (She’s a junior in HS).</p>
<p>Too many times when I suggest she needs to get cracking on task A, task B, etc., I am undermined either privately or in her presence by her dad - stuff along the lines of “Can’t she relax a little?” Can’t she have any fun?" etc.</p>
<p>Sometimes I feel like no one else cares whether she realizes her dream - and it is HER dream, not mine - and/or can’t comprehend the nature of the competition out there…</p>
<p>I think you’re both right - if she wants to pursue a higher track then she should get cracking. But, she should also have some fun. It’s all about balance but it can be possible to do both. Doing one or the other exclusively can cause problems.</p>
<p>i’ll vent with you! my son is also a junior and i commend him for the hard work he is doing and has done…good marks, ec’s, good test scores (32 ACT, 3.9 uw gpa,) etc but he wants out of state schools that would need great marks, etc to be competitive for the full scholarships awarded based on merit. I keep saying he has to apply himself now…scholarship deadlines will be very early senior year so this is the year that really counts…but every opportunity is like pulling teeth! the internships he has applied for…completed within hours of the deadline. ACT coming up…wont put in a dedicated study plan…says practice tests arent going to help! He is basically fine if he wants instate but he keeps saying that is not what he wants then gets “****y” when reminded/pushed/encouraged that out of state will require more work on his part as it is merit scholarship dependent.</p>
<p>Last night, we went out to dinner with her and a friend, she went shopping with her friend afterward, and then vegged in front of the TV the rest of the night.</p>
<p>So, in my opinion, that means she devotes today to things she has to get done - whether that be drafting a letter to submit to area vets so she can begin shadowing one, or studying for her AP exams, or writing her scholarship essay (private school, she has a partial scholarship due to her entrance exam scores, that requires an essay every year to keep, etc.) Oh, of course, her homework.</p>
<p>Tomorrow, 6-7 hours or more will be devoted to her volunteer work, so… doesn’t that mean today should be a “not fun” day? Am I crazy? Am I mean?</p>
<p>Let her figure it out on her own… Your reminders will go unheeded. She’ll need to want it for herself, and not just because you told her to do so. =shrug=</p>
<p>I don’t think you’re being crazy or mean. I think you’re being a momma who wants the best for her kid. And some kids need some ‘encouragement’ to be focused on what’s important to accomplish in order to achieve their own goals. I don’t think you’re being unreasonable.</p>
<p>Actually…to become a vet…what she does in college is a lot more important than what she does now…unless she’s entering a combined undergrad/vet school program.</p>
<p>Tomorrow she’s involved in a volunteer activity that will take up 6 to 7 hours!!! Good for her! Does it take this much time every weekend (something with animals?)</p>
<p>So…lone voice here…but I agree with kid and Dad. Ease up.</p>
<p>Parent56 - Yep. I worried that my son, who had very good grades and class rank and good test scores, was going to have trouble getting merit aid to state schools and/or acceptance to his first choice school (which has great FA) due to his lack of EC’s. Shouldn’t have worried. He did start a club sport at his high school, and worked at summer jobs such as grocery bagging and cashiering - but certainly not lots of volunteering or “leadership” per se. He was accepted to all the state schools with merit aid - including a full ride at one, and to his first choice good FA school. He is happily there now.
IF I had looked at where he was as a sophomore or early junior year, I would have said, “No way is he going to have so many good college options.” But he certainly stepped things up as the year went on and as he saw college approaching. I did not nag him to do more (at least not much ;)), since it would not have helped. I think it is important to let our kids take ownership for their preparation or lack thereof. Nagging doesn’t help, and just causes resentment. It is more important what she does in college, if she wishes to become a vet. Now, not so much.</p>
<p>vet2be_mom, I think you should get your H some of the great college admissions books that are available that really tell what college admissions are like these days. Maybe he doesn’t know how much things have changed since his day. I found these to be helpful:</p>
<p>What Colleges Don’t Tell You
Winning the Heart of theCollege Admissions Dean
A is for Admission
Acing the College Application</p>
<p>She’d like to be accepted into one of the early-admit programs. And they’re very competitive. Obviously, if that doesn’t work, then college does matter more. But either way, she needs hours and hours shadowing and/or working for a vet, and now is the time to start.</p>
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<p>Pet adoption drives. She volunteers with one of two organizations almost every weekend. It’s mostly just playing with the critters :-)</p>
<p>Actually, he didn’t even go to college - he did a vocational computer school, and has worked his tail off his whole life to get where he is today. And I went to the state college that pretty much just required a pulse. :-)</p>
<p>I hear you… I used to be the same way. But I had to learn to back off. If D doesn’t get into the school of her dreams because she goofed off, it will be HER learning experience. It’s her life, not mine, and her college experience. That doesn’t mean I don’t still nag - way more than she’d like - but not as much as I used to. That’s because I finally figured out it was counter-productive. The more I nagged, the more she dug in her heels - or more precisely, the deeper her butt sank into the sofa in front of the TV!</p>
<p>lafalum and anxiousmom… points well taken. he is a great kid!, chose to go to a school that would give him a better education than he could get locally, and takes really hard courses, going for 2 distinctions (chem & bio) is involved in sga, tutors, physician shadowed last summer, going to do an internship this summer. he actually does get things done, but procrastinates which drives me crazy. i can only nag by phone and i’m sure he would like to throw his cell phone away some days so i cant reach him.
vet2bemom… these early admission programs are a curse LOL. mine wanted early md, then didn’t. wanted reg undergrad and apply phd or med school…then told me he does again. otherwise a chem major undergrad, maybe md/phd down the line. i think we are planning to apply to a few early md, otherwise strong chem programs with undergrad research available. Nothing in stone yet, but getting clearer i think</p>
<p>An early admit program would be nice, but it’s not essential for a pre-vet.</p>
<p>In fact, it is not necessary to go to a top college to become a veterinarian. Many pre-veterinary students choose to go to state land-grant universities that have agriculture colleges because these universities offer majors in animal science (a good major for pre-vets because it gives them the opportunity to work with large animals). The land-grant universities are not necessarily the most selective (although a few, such as Cornell, are pretty far up there). </p>
<p>What is necessary for a pre-vet is to 1) get very high grades in college, particularly in the courses specifically required for veterinary school admission; 2) do some things related to work with animals while in college; and 3) have a Plan B – because it’s very hard to get into veterinary school.</p>
<p>So in other words, your daughter is going to have to be very serious a few years from now – but she doesn’t really have to be quite as serious while in high school. The world won’t come to an end if she doesn’t get into an early admit program.</p>
<p>It’d just be nice to possibly eliminate the need for Plan B. </p>
<p>We’re not looking at “top” colleges - we all seem to agree that undergrad colleges w/vet schools (Washington State, Oregon State, Colorado State) are probably the way to go, unless she gets a pre-admit somewhere else.</p>
<p>She’s not one of the superkids that seem to frequent this site. She gets some (gasp!) B’s, and she wouldn’t really be considered a “leader” in her EC’s. But her coursework is tough enough to hopefully warrant something in a merit scholarship at a lower-tier school.</p>