This blog post is a chance for me to describe and reflect on my experiences during my second year of studying veterinary medicine.
Today I found out I passed second year with a Distinction and will be moving onto my third year of the BVetMed degree! This is one of the proudest moments of my life, but also a day to pause and reflect.
Like many others, this year has been extremely difficult for me. I am thankful to have family and friends in good health and to have been able to continue my degree at a time when others have not. Of course, this blog post is only about my personal experiences, and I cannot speak for anyone else.
This year was challenging from an academic and psychological standpoint for me. My degree was entirely online, which in some respects was far easier and definitely safer, did prove difficult. While I preferred online lectures and small group teaching, I found myself doubting my practical skills before beginning the remaining clinical years of my course. How can I pass an animal handling exam, when half my husbandry placements have been cancelled? How can I learn to perform surgery, when I haven’t attended a dissection in over a year?
My only reassurance is that most others are in the same boat and therefore the university and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has to understand that this year has challenged all of us academically. I really liked online lectures and the complete control I had over my timetable, but I know others did not share this view.
The ability to have autonomy over my schedule meant that each term I could take a different approach to my learning:
Term 1: I adjusted to second year content by focusing on lectures and small group teaching. I began to prepare for my research project and started revision 2 weeks before my Christmas exam.
Term 2: I would get all the weeks lectures, small group teachings, online practicals and further reading done from Monday to Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were dedicated to my research project (RP1) and Saturday and Sunday were for revision. Looking back, I can now see that I scheduled my weeks very intensively! This term I had no exams as my research project made up roughly 10% of my grade. I enjoyed the Introduction and Discussion portions of my paper, as this is where I had the freest rein to explore my ideas and research deeper into the topic.
Term 3: Lockdown had lifted, and I was able to live with my flatmates again! I still tried to finish the weeks allocated work as soon as possible, so I could dedicate time to revision. But I was also able to spend time on myself and with my friends. I got back to the gym, started going out, and managed to spend 3-4 weeks revising before my final exams.
Next year, I will continue to try and finish the week’s work early, so I can spend time summarising lectures and making revision notes. I’m excited to start my clinical year and can’t wait to learn practical skills such as suturing and scrubbing in.
This year I struggled with motivation as a lot of the content included things that I wasn’t specifically interested in. It was hard to imagine the end goal when all I was learning bored and frustrated me. I’m hoping next year will be different as it will teach me things I will see in practice. The clinical content combined with clinical placements means I’ll be able to remind myself what I’m working towards and see that it will be worth it.
I am incredibly proud of how I handled this year. I managed to achieve my academic goal, but next year I want to challenge myself to achieve my personal goals.
The lockdowns have given me the perfect excuse to not push myself socially. Come September I want to actively be more social and meet new people.
This year I noticed that during stressful academic periods, I forget to look after myself amidst all the pressure. Next year I want to prioritise self-care and preservation to make sure the pressure of academic success doesn’t negatively impact my mental health anymore.
This year I also started a studygram to share my journey and inspire others! I'm so glad to have started the account and am happy to find it motivates me as well as others.
I’m looking forward to relaxing this summer but also can’t wait to continue the degree I love.
As always, feel free to message/Dm me with any questions. I love getting messages from you guys and am always happy to offer advice or have a chat!
PS: Enjoy some cute photos from my first placement- Lambing!
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