Has your dream always been to work at a London, Ontario animal hospital? If so, then your future necessarily holds a stint at a veterinary college. At vet school students learn the tools of their trade and are prepared for careers involving caring for animals. If you're wondering how to get into vet school and what will be asked of you when you're there, this article should give you an idea. It's designed to help you figure out whether veterinary training is for you.

Many people are under the impression that veterinary students are a rung down the ladder from students studying to be physicians - that animal doctors are failed people doctors - but this is not the case at all. Gaining admission to veterinary school is tough. There are waiting lists, and if you haven't done undergraduate sciences, usually in biology rather than kinesiology, which would be more suitable for a career in a Toronto sports clinic - then you can forget it. Top grades are also a must.

In addition to excellent grades in animal-related undergraduate courses, veterinary schools also like their students to have hands on volunteer experience with animals. This might mean anything from caring for the mice your professor is using to test his biosolids application to helping out on a farm or vet clinic. Some students even travel to other countries with animal aid groups to gain practical care experience. The more experience a student has, the better his or her chances of acceptance.

Once accepted to veterinary school, students will be studying for their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree if they're studying at an English language school in the United States or Canada. The period of study is usually four years, but in the United Kingdom, veterinarians have the option of doing a five to six year combination degree that eliminates the need for an undergrad degree. During the course of their studies, students will study both large (i.e. farm) or small (i.e. pet) animal medicine and will not specialize until after graduation.

During their first three years, students will travel from their Milton, Ontario houses to university classrooms to study such subjects as animal anatomy and physiology, parasiteology, and pathology as they relate to the care of animals. The fourth year, however, is devoted to work in clinical settings such as farms and animal hospitals. This period may involve travel to another country or internship in a local clinic.