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Hey future vets, Sophia here!
As we enter the extremely stressful exam season, we all have one thing in common: we are all looking forward to winter break! I know that as students interested in going to vet school, this break can also bring stress around doing research on the application process, finding job/volunteer opportunities in a vet clinic, reaching out to vets, and more. I can completely sympathize with you, as I experience this very same stress during both summer and winter break. Before you do any researching or emailing, I strongly advise you to allow yourself to take a break! The exam period is a very difficult time, and your mind and body deserve some rest after all the hard work you have put into this semester. Once you are all rested up, it's time to start contacting vets. Not sure where to start? No worries, I’ve got you covered with some tips and tricks that I myself have learned and used over the years when it comes to successfully reaching out to vets. It can be daunting to put yourself out there, but it is necessary when you are looking for a job or advice from current vets. By reaching out to vets, even if it is simply for answers to questions you have about the field, you are showing initiative and interest. These are qualities that those in the field of veterinary medicine are interested in when it comes to hiring, and it can make you more likely to be selected for a future job/volunteer position. Also, in my experience, vets are usually very willing to answer any questions you may have - chances are they have been in the exact same position we pre-vets are! Hey future vets! Emily here.
Have you ever wondered about life at the OVC beyond the academics? If you’re like me, you probably have wondered about the social aspect as well… will I make friends? Will I have a work-life balance? Will it be hard to adjust to the new setting if it is drastically different than I imagined? These are very real concerns, and the answers to all of these questions can be quite hard to come by unless you’re speaking directly to a student there. On a quest to get these answers for myself and for all of the future vets wondering the same things, I found the perfect group of people to help me out. Kyla Hartt, Bailee Cohen, and Madeleine Melloul are the 3 student veterinarians behind the massively popular instagram page, @dvm.roomies. If you are currently in your undergraduate studies with hopes of attending the Ontario Veterinary College one day, chances are they have popped across your feed before - you may even be one of their 1000+ followers already! However you come across the DVM Roomies (even if only through this article!) it is undeniable that this account has become a resource for future vets like us. Through chronicling their lives at the OVC in the form of posts and stories, they not only have been able to give undergrads an idea as to what to expect in vet school, but have also served as an important source of inspiration for many (myself included!). I was lucky enough to get to interview Kyla, Madeleine, and Bailee to ask all of our burning questions about the OVC and the reality of day-to-day life there. Thankfully, they were willing to write out their own detailed answers for my mountain of questions - and what you have in front of you now is all of the first-hand wisdom that they were able to share when they were in phase 1 at the OVC. Don’t wait any longer… read on! Protecting the Underdog: Animal Rescue at Dog Tales, Through the Eyes of Their Lead Kennel Manager10/9/2024
Hey future vets! Emily here. I’ve got a really exciting piece lined up for you this month; Cassandra is amazing, and her story is so inspiring. I cannot wait for you to read it, but first, I wanted to talk about something really important to me. I hope you’ll read my little note: When I read all of the interviews with veterinarians on the Omnis Animalis in my first year, I was in a very different place. Yes, I wanted to pursue veterinary medicine - but I was also super scared for the future. If you’ve ever felt that way - excited because you get to follow your passion, but scared that things may take other paths that you haven’t prepared for - know that you are NOT alone. Many of your fellow undergrads have felt exactly what you’re feeling right now (I’m in my fourth year, and I still feel it from time to time!) and we are all behind you. I remember wanting to think about other possible careers for myself, outside of vet med. For a while, I felt like I was betraying myself or my dream of becoming a veterinarian by doing so - I thought that coming up with backup plans meant that I subconsciously believed I would never become a vet. If you are thinking that right now, stop, and breathe. You aren’t doing anything horrifyingly blasphemous by thinking about other job pathways - in fact, it’s very smart and responsible of you to map out all of your options for your future! I’d like to encourage you to open your mind and explore ALL of the possibilities for your work life ahead. I know, it’s a little odd for a blog focused on veterinary news to be telling you that, but please remember this: no matter where you find yourself after your education (whether it’s in vet school or starting an exciting new path!), you will still be an extremely smart, well-educated, great person who wants to help animals - and absolutely will. That said, congratulations from all of us here at the FVC: you are already the amazing person you want to become. Until now, it has been a bit uncommon for the Omnis to publish interviews with anyone who isn’t in the field of veterinary medicine. I think it’s time to turn a new leaf. There are tons of wonderful experiences for future vets to consider for themselves and their futures; I am so excited for you to read about this one. Enjoy :) Hey Future Vets!
We’re officially back for the Fall 2024 semester - if you’re a returning student, we’ve missed you so much! If it’s your first year at the University of Guelph, we are SO excited to have you here. We can’t wait to meet you, so we’ve got some really fun events lined up for O-Week that we hope you’ll attend! If you don’t know what O-Week is, it is essentially your first week back to school - this takes place from Friday August 30th to Sunday September 8th. During this week, hundreds of clubs, organizations, and departments across campus will hold events to help with your transition, introduce you to your new classmates and fellow Gryphons, and get you excited for the first day of classes! All newbies are welcome to check out these events and partake in all of the fun activities - and we at the Future Vets Club hope that some of our events are on your to-see list! If this is the first you’re hearing of the Future Vets Club: welcome! The FVC is a non-profit CSA approved club run on campus. Our club’s goal is to provide support to undergraduate students intending to apply to veterinary colleges, both within Ontario and internationally. We aim to provide as much information as possible to our club members by organizing and hosting informative seminars and exciting events all year long! Our events centre around animal-related fields, work/volunteer opportunities, and schools offering a degree in veterinary medicine. If this sounds interesting to you, read on!  Above: The reception area at Mac Animal Clinic, Dr. Chung Yeen Mac's fear-free certified practice in Oakville, Ontario Tell us about any experience with animals that inspired you to become a vet.
I can’t remember ever wanting to be anything other than a vet. Once I started volunteering in general practice, it just confirmed that it was what I wanted to do. People might find that going into consults is quite hard, particularly with confidentiality, but I just remember being in practice and thinking: yes, this is what I want to do. I just couldn’t wait to have the experience and knowledge to be able to do that! That was what drove me; I would see people helping animals, or I would see animals that needed help, and not knowing how to help them motivated me to become a veterinarian, so I could be able to help those animals in the correct manner. I remember speaking with one of the vets I volunteered with, and they told me that during the interview there is going to be one question they always ask, and that is, “why do you want to be a vet?” They don’t want to hear, “I like animals and I want to help them,” they want to know if you’re passionate about the ways you’re going to do that! As a veterinarian, you are going to diagnose, give treatment, and understand the hows and whys. That's what I wanted to do; I didn’t want to just be a part of it, I wanted to be the one understanding everything and setting the treatment plans. Once you become a vet you realize it’s not possible to understand everything, though! Fostering Dreams of Wildlife Medicine: Sammi Luk's Journey to Vet School through Wild Ontario11/13/2023
Walking into freshman year orientation, every student is immediately bombarded with a seemingly endless stream of clubs, opportunities, and events. Whether you commit to just one or a dozen, there's always the sense of not knowing if you're missing out or preparing yourself "correctly" for vet school.
My name is Sammi, and as a Phase 1 student at OVC this year, I'm here to tell you that there's no linear path to becoming a veterinarian, and how one of my commitments at the University of Guelph ultimately shaped my journey to vet school. What is Wild Ontario? Since the start of my undergraduate degree in Animal Biology fall of 2019, I have been volunteering at Wild Ontario. Located in the Arboretum, Wild Ontario is made up of just 2 staff and many student volunteers that care and train for non-releasable raptors as well as educate a variety of audiences about wildlife and conservation across Ontario. The opportunity to work with these normally wild raptors is not only an incredible privilege, but has also been such an asset as a pre- veterinary student. Now at this point you may be wondering- what are raptors? And do they have anything to do with Jurassic Park? Raptors are birds that hunt using their powerful feet and talons, and are also known for their keen eyesight and sharp beaks. At Wild Ontario, we have owls, falcons, hawks, and a Turkey Vulture (our honorary raptor). By Natasha Martin, MSc, BSc (Honours)I had a very uncommon path to vet school that had many twists, turns, and forks in the road. Now being a final year vet student at Bristol Vet School in England, I hope my story and crazy journey can shed light on how your path to vet school doesn’t need to be straight and narrow, and how saying “yes” to scary opportunities can sometimes lead you to bigger possibilities than you ever imagined.
My Undergraduate JourneyMy name is Natasha, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a vet. Helping care for animals by advancing human and animal medicine. Being the only vet school in the country that I was eligible for, I went to the University of Guelph for my Bachelor of Science degree, declaring Zoology as my major. I was the first in my family to attend university, and I came from a small high school, so it was intimidating being a little fish in a big pond. During my undergrad, I met some amazing friends and partook in clubs like College Royal and the Indigenous Student Society. I applied to OVC during my final year of study and unfortunately didn’t get an interview, which was devastating. During that time, I had not thought about applying to any other vet schools because, being from Ontario, the only vet school I thought of as an option for me was OVC. I looked at what I could do following my undergraduate degree and found a Master’s program at OVC that seemed like the right fit for me.  How Embracing New Opportunities Has Taken My Career In Unexpected Directions and Helped Me Discover My Purpose
By Dr. Sara Ritzie, BScH DVM When I was little, I wasn't allowed to watch the Wizard of Oz because I would go into hysterics when the witch put Toto in the basket. I think this was an indication of the person I would grow up to become: a passionate ambassador for pets and our planet, who speaks up and acts when there is an opportunity to make a difference. I always knew I was destined for a STEM career, but it wasn’t until my first day as a volunteer kennel kid at my pets’ veterinary clinic that I realized my calling was to work with animals. Once it hit me, I was committed. I knew exactly what my career would look like: I would get into vet school on my first try, move back to my hometown in Ontario, and purchase a small animal clinic where I would practice until I retired. That’s not what happened at all. I did not get into vet school on my first try, never moved back to my hometown, and I didn’t buy a clinic. I only worked in a small animal practice for 3 years before following a new path. I’ve had at least seven different official job titles, and many more unofficial roles, and I’m still learning, growing, and adapting.  Hi, everyone! My name is Cassidy Van Den Diepstraten, and I am a first-year student at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph, class of 2021. If you have ever considered applying to international veterinary schools, this post is for you!
About Me I grew up in a small town in Northern Ontario surrounded by wildlife, where I became drawn to animals at a very young age. I gravitated towards documentaries with David Attenborough, as well as fellow Canadian David Suzuki, and wanted to be like them when I grew up and explore the world of animals. My initial passion for conservation and research led to my interest in veterinary medicine. While at U of G, I joined the Future Vets Club, which allowed me to attend seminars from international veterinary schools and build connections with their students and staff. Listening to how eager and passionate students were about their respective schools made me want to investigate some of these programs further. While applying to veterinary school for the 2021 application cycle, I decided to apply to several international veterinary schools. I felt that I would regret not applying, and besides, what did I have to lose? Little did I know what an impact that decision would have on my life. Those long hours of reading over applications, prepping for interviews, and studying finally paid off; I was accepted! After spending several long days making pros and cons lists, and researching programs and cities, I finally decided on the best fit for me: RVC. Last month I traveled to Nepal to visit two dog rescue centres supported by Animal Experience International, an organization I co-founded 10 years ago. Dr. Joshi, the Nepali vet we work with, told me how the vet school in Nepal only teaches its students about agricultural species and nothing about small animal medicine. To work with dogs and cats, Dr. Joshi had to travel abroad to learn small animal medicine and surgery skills! With this knowledge, he dedicated his career to helping community dog health initiatives and teaching vet students important skills in this field.
I could relate to what Dr. Joshi was telling me; here in Canada, veterinary schools focus on agricultural animals and domestic species like dogs and cats, but not on avian and exotic species. And students learn even less about wildlife medicine, the topic in which I was most interested! I now consider myself to be a wildlife veterinarian, and I have spent the last 25 years as the veterinary director at Toronto Wildlife Centre. But in order to master this specialty, I too had to seek out specific training opportunities abroad and learn a lot on my own along the way. And like Dr. Joshi, I have helped put in place a training program in wildlife medicine to help teach local students and veterinarians. |
Welcome to the FVC's official blog, the Omnis Animalis! Tune in monthly for helpful and fun posts written by students and industry professionals alike. Our vision for this blog is to best serve future vets with inspiring feature pieces, helpful tips, and updates on exciting events throughout the year!
the authorsMeet the editors of the Omnis Animalis! 
Sophia Di Adamo, Senior Editor
2025-2026
Maegen Eisler, Junior Editor 2025-2026
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