Not that writng is a waste of time, but I'm sure there are better things I could be doing on my Saturday night. Like sleeping. Or studying. But heck, I thought I'd give a bit more info about my first full week, since I'm awake enough to write coherently.
My roommate and I just spent the last 5 hours running errands, shopping, and at dinner. We meant it to be a shorter trip, but one thing led to another... I feel as if I wasted my entire Saturday. Boo hoo. But I spent the morning back in the saddle, and it was great! I'm sure my legs will make me pay for it for the next 5 days (and I'm not exaggerating) but it was worth it. How I've missed riding... I can't wait until I can finally own my own jumper.
So. The week was pretty good, I'm getting in the habit of getting to class at 8am (9am for Fridays). There were a ton of meetings this week... wildlife clinic had rounds, which introduced us to the process of the physical exam. Have you ever tried to feel for a broken bone? It's hard. Well, yes, the bone is hard too. But unless it's completely severed and you see part of it sticking out of the skin, it's difficult to tell it's broken. Plus, the smell of the animals (they weren't going to let us loose on a poor animal with feeling), was overwhelming. Never eat before a meeting like that. It's hard to keep your food down.
All the other clubs are getting up and running. Equine, emergency, holistic, non-traditional species... and those are just the ones I'm sort of interested in. Not to mention we need to elect a class rep, curriculum committee rep, Hill's food rep, open house reps, ethics rep... the list goes on and on. There's a lot to do in vet school.
Not to mention the classes. Aside from one new anatomy professor who's a bit of a jerk, the other ones are really nice and understanding. They are very willing to answer questions, have open offfice hours, add any extra notes to the website (or e-mail them to us), etc. So in contrast, the one not helpful professor is really horrible. He expects us to already understand *all* the material... how the bones, muscles, arteries, veins, and nerve all interconnect. I mean, I'm just working on learning the names, and he's throwing out all kinds of concepts with a rapid australian accent, and brushing off requests for his lecture notes with a "it's all in your book." Well, if everything is in the book, then what do we need YOU for?
My classmates and I spent a fair amount of time complaining during happy hour(s) on Friday. At least we're all in the same boat and the competitiveness is starting to reduce. A lot of people are e-mailing out study guides they've made and are organizing study groups for people who need help. We really are trying to get everyone to graduate in 2008. And as the first class chosen by the new method (less emphasis on grades, more on people skills and business sense), the rest of the school is keeping an eye on how we all interact - and how we do. That kind of puts pressure on us as a whole. Individually, I'm a little anxious, too. I am starting to really understand that what I learn now will impact my job skills, not just grades. To hell with grades... an A is no good if you can't apply what you've memorized. Give me a C and the ability to understand what I've learned. (That's still hard for me to say, even though I did see my fair share of Cs in undergrad.)
The other significant thing to happen last week is that there is a shortage of rabies vaccinations. So the policy of us needing to be vaccinated to continue on in the spring has been waived indefinitely. I'm a bit relieved - and nervous. This does mean I'm not able to handle any mammals in the wildlife clinic, but I get to put off a 3 series shot in the arm. Silver lining, I suppose.
In a nutshell, that's how my week went... thank god it's a 3 day weekend!