This is my boy and I at work today. We did a needle aspirate of his lump but couldn't tell much since it was such a small sample. We are thinking it is just a sebaceous cyst, but I am going to have it removed Friday for his well-being and my own sanity. Of course it will be sent out for a biopsy as well. I'm really glad I found this now since I'll only be working here until July and then I go out to Missouri for vet school. I also have had pet insurance on him since he was 8 weeks old and this will be the first time I've ever had to use it. I only have to pay my $200 deductible.

Beamer, of course, loves coming to work with me and I'm sure he won't know what is coming Friday besides no breakfast... he will be pretty upset. Poor boy.

In other news, I saw yesterday that my Sallie Mae loans are finally deferred. I just don't know for how long, so I need to call them and find out. At least my payment is now only $60 for interest instead of  over $300 a month. I also found out yesterday that there is no Wells Fargo in Missouri, which really sucks since that is the only bank I've ever used. So... not sure what I am doing about that at the moment. Still looking for a place to live and for some realtors to get back to me. I'm about 99% sure I've got a roommate nailed down, so that is out of the way! I'll meet her officially in April at the open house, which I am very excited for!

I'm worried about my boy. He will be 2 at the end of March. About a week ago, he was cuddling with me on the couch. I was petting his chest and found very small lump. Of course, he came to work with me the next day (I work at a vet's office). I tried to find it again and I couldn't. I also had 2 other people feel him over and no one could find this mysterious lump.
A week goes by and last night I am petting him again and I find it once more. It feels about the same, but I am concerned since he is so young, and since he is a golden- cancer is very high in this breed and I am very aware of this fact. I am really glad I took out pet insurance on him for this reason. I have not had to use it yet, thankfully, but I will be grateful that I do have it later.

Anyway, I take him and mark the spot with a sharpie and then be sure I can find it again. Of course, this is after working a really really busy stressful week and I'm finally off for 3 days until Tuesday (I swear I was only home for an hour after work when I found it). He will be coming to work with me on Tuesday- hopefully that black mark will still be there but if not, I am pretty confident I can find it again. It feels like it is just in the skin layer- not soft but not really hard, either. Very small, probably a little smaller than the size of a pencil eraser.

Being in the vet profession, we seem to worry a lot more about the possibilities with the things we see. So, I'm hoping it is nothing, but I think I am about 95% sure I am going to get this removed and biopsied to be on the safe side. The pet insurance will cover everything besides my $200 deductible. I'll also do a needle aspirate Tuesday just to get an idea of what we are looking at.

So here is to me worrying all weekend. If they aren't crazy busy Monday, I'll see if I can take him in then to have it looked at so I can get him in for surgery sooner.

Well, it looks like my decision has been made! First, let me start out by saying that I have been an emotional wreck these past 24 hours. Yesterday at my dad's place (about an hour from where I live) I was checking my Facebook on my phone and there was a post about VMRCVM letters going out two weeks early. My heard dropped about 3 feet when I read that and I started freaking out. I knew that they sent emails out, so I checked mine and nothing. Then I check the online status page and still... nothing.

I then go online to the student doctor forum (I'm a member) and check the VT thread. There are people posting that they got accepted. I am really having a panic attack at this point as I had not heard either way. With VMRCVM you either get wait-listed or accepted at this point after interviews. Someone else then posts that they were wait-listed. Hours go by and a long drive home and still NO WORD. I am feeling sick and nauseous at this point. I tell myself that I'm going to stay up no matter how long it takes which lasted until about midnight last night. Then, I /tried/ to go to bed, which of course I could not sleep... at all. I checked my email at 2am, and then at 5:30am which at that point I decided I wasn't getting any sleep. I had to be at work at 8am anyway.

Finally, I get to work and tell everyone there about the awful time I am having. I decide to check my email again at 8:30 and FINALLY there is an email from Tech. I got wait-listed. One of my co-workers said that I looked so much better after reading it since being stuck in limbo was pure torture. Having others know and not a word on my end was so painful. There were others in my same position, which helped. So anyway, I got wait-listed at my in-state school. Not a big shot, I knew I bombed that interview, it was terrible. I'm not going to go into it again.

After April 15th, you can call and get your wait-list number from them. Which is, of course, the same day that all acceptances are due for the schools. So, I DECIDED I AM GOING TO MIZZOU!! I am so so excited. From my last post, you can tell I was going to have to make a difficult decision if I got accepted to Tech. I really loved Mizzou and was even leaning towards going there regardless. I am so RELIEVED that I don't have to make that choice.

I know that I am going to love Missouri!! It is sure going to be a new experience for me and being so far away from home is going to be hard, but I'm just so excited to be starting a new chapter in my life and that I AM going to be a veterinarian in just 4 short years.

Well, I had a lot of time off this past weekend to think a lot about vet school. I LOVED Missouri when I was out there. The people were SO friendly and welcoming. One of the first people I met was my taxi driver and he was super nice and talked to me about his business he is starting up (with electric taxis). He offered to drive me to and from my interview and back to the airport as well, he was so great and I was really happy to not have to worry about that. Once I got to my interview, the students who were there and calming us down were most welcome at the time. They knew we were all so stressed. The committee during my interview was also really kind as well and of course, how can I forget the admissions staff, they were wonderful! The interview, or at least how I remember it, went really smoothly and I didn't stumble at all. I felt confident in all my answers and it seemed to go really well. It was just a traditional 15 minute interview.

Anyway, what I am getting at is that I just really loved Mizzou and their program and school. The best thing I love about the school is 2+2 program they have- 2 years of classroom and then 2 years of clinical. Most schools only have 1 year of clinicals, so that extra year is going to be super helpful. Something that I am also liking, which I originally didn't like, are the periods they have. Instead of 2 semesters, they have 4 periods a year. You still get the usual breaks, which is nice (though summer break is only 6 weeks long... ugh). You have fewer classes at once but it is crammed into a shorter time.

Another awesome thing is that you can get in-state tuition after the first year of school and it is apparently really easy to get. The open house is sometime in April, which I will be going to if I am attending Mizzou. I'll meet some of my future classmates and hopefully find some friends and a place to live.

Plus, all these signs I am seeing are pointing me to Mizzou. Everywhere I look, all I see is Missouri. The most noted being a license plate that I saw on a car saying M1zzouuu or something along those lines. I saw that car not once but twice! AND, their mascot is a tiger, which has been my favorite animal since I was young...

Now with VMRCVM, it is the school I had always dreamed of going. Almost every vet I worked for went there. I attended undergad at Virginia Tech and VMRCVM admissions always came to talk to us about school.

The interview I had was a mess- the multiple mini interview. I hated every second of it. From the nerve-wracking 2 minutes to write things down  about the scenario to the 6 minutes of having to talk to someone. I was basically always talking to the interviewer and I ran out of time during each of the 8 scenarios. I just did not and still really don't feel confident about how I did at all. The whole day was a mess, really, with the snowy weather making it worse. The waiting for the interview wasn't too bad and some students came and talked to us. The waiting was a bit excessive as we got started late in our group. By the time that we got done with the interview, I just left and didn't even stay for a tour (which I did want to go on). The weather was just getting so bad that I wanted to get home. At this point, we either get in or get waitlisted. So, as of now, I am still in the waiting game. March 1st had better get here soon so I know.

VMRCVM's program only has the 1 clinical year with 3 years of classroom and has the basic schedule just like undergrad with semesters. When I was down for the interview, I just didn't get that same great feeling I got when I was at Mizzou. I don't know if it was that interview, the weather, or what that made me feel that way. But, whenever I think about Tech, I just don't feel good about it. Maybe I won't have an issue deciding between these two schools because I'll get waitlisted at Tech, or maybe I will if I get accepted.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Blacksburg and that area. It is my in-state school and will be cheaper to go there. I'll only be 3 hours from home and that is something that I really need. I am really close to my friends and family and when I am at school, I talk to my mom about once a day. So, if I got to Mizzou, being 14 hours away from home is going to be really hard.

So as of now, I am still waiting on Tech, but that is how I am feeling at the moment. I might have a really hard choice to make in a few weeks.

It's been nearly 3 weeks since I have been admitted to vet school. I still just cannot believe it. Every time I think about going back to school in August I am just filled with so many different emotions; disbelief, happiness, excited, anxious, even a touch of sadness. I recently joined the student doctor forum (which I really wish I had found about a year or two ago instead of just last week) but it is a really great resource. It's also a great place to talk with some of my potential classmates at Mizzou if I do attend there in the fall and maybe even find a roommate or two. But, that is getting ahead of myself. I am still waiting to hear from VT and I am getting more and more anxious by the day. We are supposed to hear by March 1st, so basically any day from now until then. Every time there is a new post on the VMRCVM thread on the forum, I almost have a heart attack thinking someone has heard something. As I have gotten farther away from that horrific interview at VT, I am feeling better about it. I still have to say I am not a fan on the multiple mini interviews (MMI) and would much rather have a traditional interview. I'm not sure why I'm thinking so much about interviews anymore for vet school since I did end up canceling both my Auburn and Tuskegee interviews, so I don't have any more to worry about.
I also did hear from NC State last week and I didn't get in there. It was what I expected since they don't do interviews and they only have 20 out of state spots, so the odds were stacked against me. No hard feelings over it.

So basically, for now, I am just counting down the days until March 1st until  I hear from VT. I really just want to know where I will be going in August, whether that is in Columbia or Blacksburg. Lately, I've also gotten really excited about Mizzou- so if I end up there, I will be alright with it. The biggest thing with it being so far away; that will be really difficult for me. But, I figure I'll probably be so busy it won't be too bad. Plus, I'll always have my Beamer boy with me. Mizzou's vet school does things a bit differently compared to VT. One thing I really like is that you get 2 years of classroom and then 2 years of clinicals (2+2) vs. VT that has 3 years of classroom and 1 year of clinicals. Mizzou also has periods instead of semesters, which is very different. And... you only get 6 weeks for summer break, which kind of stinks. But, if I have to, I'll deal. Definitely not a deal breaker for me.

All in all, I'm just hoping to be back in Blacksburg for the fall. I miss it so much and that brief visit last month was not enough. There is an open house in April for both VT and Mizzou (on different weekends) that Mom and I are going to go to and hopefully find a place to live and meet some classmates.

Other than vet school stuff that I've been trying not to focus on, my vet tech classes seem to be going pretty well. I have 5 days off (until Tuesday) and I've been working on a bit of it daily. This past Friday was supposed to be my interview at Auburn. My terminology class finally seems to have picked up to something interesting. Radiology is really dragging since this is the 3rd week (soon to be 1 month in) that I've been reading about how an x-ray machine works and how x-rays are produced as well as all the electrical components. Lets just say... I'm tired of reading about all of that and I just want to move on. Also, I've got a few pet sitting jobs lined up which will help out a lot in saving for a new laptop and among other things I'll need for school in August. 

I am still in shock after finding out I got into vet school Tuesday night. It is still hard to believe after so many years that I will finally be starting veterinary school in August. In just 4 years, I'll have a DVM after my name and a Dr. before it. Wow. Just wow.

Today was the last day for NC State to send out letters to us, so I should hopefully be getting mine in the next few days. It looks like they only accept 20 out of state students, so my chances at this school are lower, but not to matter. I am already in a Mizzou.

I also decided today, after a lot of thinking, that I am going to cancel my last two interviews that were at Auburn and Tuskegee, Alabama. My thought process on this is that even if I go down, spend a ton of money on both of these interviews getting there and if I get accepted, I still would choose Mizzou over both of these schools. The big reason is that Mizzou allows you to change your residency after the first year so I could be paying in-state rates after that. That equals a huge savings of at least $50-75,000 total so it isn't even a question of is it worth it. Also, a big factor to me is that Auburn requires business dress for normal classes. For me, this is a huge deal since I don't have anything like that in my current wardrobe. I had to go out and buy everything for my interviews. I'd have to buy a whole new wardrobe just for normal classes. Now, some people have said 'suck it up it is professional school' or 'you will have to wear that for clinicals.' Well, let me just say, I don't mind wearing something nice for a reason, like clnicals. That is fine with me, I have no problem with that. My problem is when it is for something like classes- which makes no sense. We are going to be stuck in a lecture hall all day or down in the labs. I just don't see the point of dressing up nicely for that, I just don't.

Anyway, now that my rant is over, it is nice now to not have to worry about any more interviews plus, look at all the money I will be saving! I did have to cancel my flight and didn't get the money back for that, but I will be able to have $150 towards another ticket sometime this year, which I will be flying to San Diego Comic-con in July, so that works out great.

After work tomorrow, I am going to call each school and tell them that I am no longer attending the interview. Hopefully they can send out another interview invite to someone else who would like the chance!

I GOT INTO VETERINARY SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!


After that really terrible weekend I had at my interview at VMRCVM, yesterday night I got the best news possible. I was at work, it was almost 6:00 and then we would be closed. I see my mom's phone number pop up on the caller ID on the work phone. My co-worker answers it before me, but I go upfront to grab the phone from her. She says that she got a letter in the mail from the University of Missouri and wanted to know if she could open it for me. I wasn't sure what to say... I was excited for the results but so so nervous. I asked my co-worker and my boss (who just happened to be up there) and they said sit down, breathe, and have her open the letter. The first word out of her mouth was 'Congratulations!' and I just lost it. I burst into tears as she read the first line of the letter to me that I had finally been accepted to veterinary school. It took me a good minute or two to even stop crying and to be able to actually speak. It hit me that somewhere in August, I will be going to veterinary school. Missouri was the first school I heard from about an interview and the first school I interviewed at. I did enjoy the little bit of time I spent there- it really reminded me of Blacksburg. So, if I have to go there, I will! The only drawback is that it is 14 hours away from where I live and I really like/need to be near my family. So, that would be the only reason I am hesitant about this school. Also, they do 'periods' instead of semesters and it seems like 4 periods is equal to a semester. I am not 100% sure on how this works, exactly, but it sounds like we only get about a 6 week break during the summer, which isn't long enough in my opinion.

Anyway, last night I got home from work a few minutes later and Mom came downstairs and hugged me. I burst into tears again and we both stood there crying together. It was surreal. My mom, her boyfriend, my sister and I then went to Olive Garden to celebrate. I got 3 of this strawberry lemonade vodka drinks and they were delicious. I came back home and then pretty much went to bed. I had no motivation to work on homework after that! Last night, I could not sleep well at all. I kept tossing and turning all night- I cannot even recall what I was thinking about during the night.

Today was a new day and a new outlook on life. I am going to be a veterinarian in a little over 4 years . I am still waiting to hear from a few schools about admissions and I still have 2 interviews to attend down in Alabama. But it is still good to know that if every other school I applied denies my admission, I still have a potential spot at Mizzou.