Dear Self,
I am writing this letter to you on my lunch break … I hope you are doing well, and vet school has been kind in your first days. I know you don’t have a lot of time and you won’t have it later. However, I want to tell you a few things about your future. The next three years are going to be a crazy journey filled with joy, a lot of stress, lack of sleep, and anxiety but it will be worth it. You will be accomplishing more than you think and will be amazed by all the opportunities that will knock at your door (traveling, scholarships, awards). Fear won’t stop you, but it might make you overthink and doubt. Please do your best and take one day at a time.
I have a few more pieces of advice for you, so listen carefully to my pearls of wisdom! Vet school is like riding a rollercoaster everyday…it will give you all the feels and you never know for sure what’s next. But do not worry this rollercoaster will stop at some point. The first rides are going to be longer since days in vet school may feel like months, and months may feel like years. So, do not stress too much about the future like you ALWAYS do and focus on your present right now.
Some days you will feel overwhelmed and exhausted. When that happens to you, I wanted you to stop what you are doing and take a break. Do something to relax for a bit like dancing, running, or watch a 30 mins episode of your favorite TV show. You don’t have any idea how helpful that is going to be to your mental and emotional health.
When you don’t understand something, I want you to ask for help as soon as possible. Do not wait until the day before your anatomy test or physiology quiz. Look for tutoring sessions now and reach out to your professors to see where your weaknesses are. Perhaps, you might need to change your studying approach and you will be fine!
If anything or anyone makes you doubt yourself and why you are here. I want you to read your acceptance letter and remind yourself why you picked this profession and all the things that you have overcome so far. Don’t forget students are struggling to pass Calculus or Organic chemistry and they want to be where you are now. You struggled with Organic chemistry too and now you are here. You know how hard is to get here… KEEP going! No matter the struggle, you will overcome it and you will do great in the upcoming years. I know what I am telling, I am proud of where you are now and the doctor you are becoming.
