One week prior to leaving!

I know it’s been forever since I’ve blogged, but I haven’t had much to write about while in Georgia! I officially leave 1 week from today and I’m totally excited. I started this blog not only so my friends and family can follow me and see how I’m doing in vet school, but also for future vet students or even med students studying abroad. I have been planning this trip for a while now and I’ve learned a few lessons.

Here are some things I’ve learned during the past few weeks:

1.       DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. I know we’ve all been taught this our whole lives, especially during college and grad school… but seriously, you’ll feel prepared and less nervous if you get everything done early. I started packing some things early, but I wish I had done everything else sooner. And don’t over-pack. Apparently going over suitcase weight limit can get expensive.

2.       GET HEALTH INSURANCE. I recently got my vaccine records filled out by my physician (as in last week) and I still have another vaccine to get – meningitis. Also, rabies is really expensive (500+ for the series). Don’t forget about all the other shots they make you get that you remember getting years ago… MMR, TB skin test, polio, tetanus, etc. These vaccines are not cheap. Also you need a physical. Most professional schools make it mandatory to have health insurance. I didn’t have health insurance before I got accepted, and I had to wait for the school’s insurance to kick in. This was January 1^st. Don’t forget, I start school January 13^th. This is definitely pushing it.

3.       BE PREPARED TO LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND.  I don’t know this from experience, but I can assume that when I get back “home” in 4 years, everything will be different. Friends will move on to great opportunities in life. People do change and no one is going to sit around and wait for you to come back from vet school. Remember WHY you are doing it, that this is what you’ve always dreamed of and nobody or nothing is going to slow you down.

4.       START FRIENDSHIPS WITH CLASSMATES BEFORE YOU LEAVE. Everyone and their mother have facebook. It is more than likely that your class has a facebook group and you can meet people on there.

5.       EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME BOAT AS YOU. My Georgia friends keep asking me if I’m scared because I know nobody there. I mean, I don’t personally KNOW anyone there, but we’ve all been talking on facebook and getting to know each other. One thing you have to remember (and so do I) is that EVERYONE is in the exact same boat as you. If you’re afraid of moving out of the country alone or sad that you had to leave your boyfriend back home, you are far from being the only one.

6.       HAVE ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS TOGETHER. This is something I’m still working on! I made a folder on my computer of all the documents I have to print. Some people told me to bring like a portfolio or a folder to hold everything important. This includes passport, letter of acceptance, and any attachments they sent you when you were accepted. The last thing I want to do is miss my flight because I can’t find my letter allowing me to enter the country. That would suck.

I’m sure I’ll have plenty more tips when I get there! But this is what I’ve gathered so far before I leave. Also, if you’re ever sad, afraid, frustrated, or anything, there is ALWAYS someone to talk to. Everyone wants you to feel comfortable there. The upper term students have been telling us this so I want to spread the word. They have been so kind enough to already make us feel welcome, before we even left the states! Hopefully this helps someone out in the future! Best of luck!