On March 4th, 2021, at 9:34 AM I was sitting in recovery, waiting on a pug to recover from his neuter to be extubated when I got a call from Dr. John Dascanio telling me I had been accepted into the inaugural class of Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine. I still get chills thinking about that day: the day that revealed my hard work had paid off, and that I was now one step closer to making my dreams come true. I could not express my excitement to have made it into vet school! I had so much energy and excitement and honestly, I thought it was going to be easy to learn the material. I was under the impression that, because I was so interested in this material, it would come easily to me.
I have never been more wrong about anything in my life.
Nothing about vet school has been easy. Before vet school one of my mentors told me, “Vet school is like trying to drink from a fire hose being sprayed at full blast.” This may have been an understatement, because soon after starting I realized I was not drinking from the “fire hose” – I was drowning. I studied as hard as I could; went to tutoring; was doing everything I had ever done to be successful in my pre-veterinary curriculum; and yet, it was not getting better.
I had to learn that I had no idea how to study. Group study was NOT the key to my success. Reading things hundreds of times – not for me. Drawing it out – not for me. Quizzing with classmates led to a downward spiral. What DID work for me, however, was being completely alone, rewriting notes and reading my notes three times. Unfortunately, this approach was not learned until late second semester of my first year.
I say that all to tell you: vet school is not easy. It is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I have never worked as hard and long as I do right now. I have never once stopped loving veterinary medicine or ever wanted to do anything else, but it is hard. Learning how to be devoted to veterinary training while also making time for all the things in life that still need your attention is a major learning curve.
Despite its challenges, school is still my favorite thing on earth. I absolutely love it here. The faculty and staff are a gift straight from God. All of them would give any of us the clothes off their back. I have experienced first-hand how they will do absolutely anything to help us be successful and get where we want to go in this profession. Every one of our professors genuinely care about us, and I consider all of them a friend, because they treat us that well. I have met some of my best friends in the world in vet school. We still have a blast and (occasionally) act stupid.
Without my friends there is no chance I would have made it this far. My friends have taught me so much, one of the most important lessons being: nothing makes information stick like the pain of embarrassment and harassment. I love every one of my classmates, and we have all grown so close. We know way more about each other than we should, but I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything.
Second year was a blast. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t a walk in the park, but I figured out how to do vet school. I learned to enjoy learning again, and also was able to make more and more real-life connections. I only cried 2-3 times that year (that’s really good!!). I was able to perform my first solo surgery as a SECOND YEAR!!
Second year was also the year I learned to be okay with my very best. I learned that I really love dogs and cats, and I really don’t love things that are not dogs and cats. I learned that my first year may have been a little rocky, but I am still going to get where I want to go, and one day, I hope to be the first board-certified surgeon in West Texas.
Third year is my favorite so far. The dots are all starting to connect—mostly. The dots for anything cattle-related, however, will never fully connect for me (and I’m okay with that). The curriculum is becoming more clinical and it’s a blast. Studying is a part of life now – it’s become engrained in me and part of my routine. Last week we started preparing for our clinical rotations 4th year, which is insane.
Vet school is wild. It’s the fastest slow experience of your life. I swear we just got here, but I do surgery, and know medicine, and it’s almost time for me to start clinics. Don’t get me wrong, there are still hard days and times when I still feel like I’m drowning from the fire hydrant, but it’s so much better. I never once thought being a veterinarian wasn’t for me, and every single day I am more convinced that God put me right where I am supposed to be. For that I am eternally grateful. Even with the many struggles and constant stress it’s a blast.
All in all vet school is an experience all of its own. I don’t think it is possible to understand it until you are going through it. It’s been the hardest – and best – time of my life. I would not trade being here for one second.
Wreck ‘Em!
Austin Byrd, TTU-SVM Class of 2025