Winter Term 2012-2013, Week 10: It's the End of My World As I Know It

Well, the end of my college life, anyway. I can't believe it's finally here. All that stands between me and freedom for the next six months is my Animal Communication final, which will take me all of 15 minutes on Thursday. What can I say that I haven't already said? It's been an amazing time here. There have been so many ups and downs. I have enjoyed college more than I thought I would, and I've been informed that grad school is even better. I have so much to look forward to right now. I think it'll be nice to have such a long time off from school. It'll help me recharge my batteries and get ready for the hectic world of vet school. And yes, if you're wondering, I will be blogging about that, which is really exciting for me. I haven't decided what to call it yet, but I have a little bit to decide. I found out today that I've been placed on the alternate list for Iowa, which means that if any spots open up after the April 15th deadline, I may be invited to join the class of 2017 there. I'm still waiting on Minnesota, but I should know by Monday at the latest. Fingers crossed! If all else fails, I still have Kansas!

I also can't wait to be home to start our garden this summer. We didn't get one in last year, which was disappointing. In addition, I will be home for the start of the MLB season, which I haven't been home for in four years. The same goes for Easter. I missed the last two years because of not being able to find transportation, but I will be there this year! Finally, I am eager for the actual graduation/commencement ceremony here in May. It'll be so great to see my friends again and to celebrate our achievements with them. Assuming my Winter Term grades go the way I think they will, I will graduate Augustana summa cum laude, which means "with highest honors" for students who have a GPA of 3.9 and above. It will probably be listed in the graduation program, and it's something I can include on my resume when I am applying for positions after vet school.

Anyway, about this insane week. It really felt like two separate, very short weeks because of my short jaunt to Minnesota for the interview. I was so impressed with the school. Not only is the location great, but the opportunities there and the community of scholars is just so fantastic. Students there start their first year with two full weeks of just hands-on stuff with horses and cows, the latter of which is right up my alley as an aspiring food animal practitioner. There is a cool special study room just for first-years complete with personal desks and microscopes, so they don't have to purchase their own. For students pursuing careers with dairy cows, there is an opportunity to stay for two weeks at New Sweden Dairy near St. Peter, Minnesota. The facility is equipped with dorms and teaching areas so students can get the most out of the experience. The sheer variety of rotations and elective courses is just astounding to me. Plus, everyone there was so nice. Even the other candidates who were interviewing were really nice. I talked to another girl who also applied to Iowa, Minnesota, and Kansas and was accepted to Kansas. I hope we both get in at Minnesota, though. :)

One of my favorite parts of the day was when we got to see the anatomy lab and adjacent Anatomy Museum, which features a lot of plastinated animal specimens. One of the U of M doctors helped develop the process, which is how Body Worlds came to be. All of us candidates even got to take home CDs with anatomy slides on them of everything from poultry to cows to horses. I've only just scratched the surface going through it, but I can already tell you that there's some pretty darn cool stuff on it. Mom says I'm such a biology geek, but I reply that at least I know I'm headed into the right profession!

All in all, and as I predicted, visiting Minnesota just made me want to go there that much more. Just in general, it made me want to start vet school already! I know I'm going to meet so many incredible people and participate in so many awesome experiences. Success is going to require a complete revamping of the way I study, but I'm ready to change if it means learning the material and being the best vet I can be.

I just want to take this time to thank all who have supported me from day one. It's meant so much to me to have such encouragement to do my best and be my best.

As far as finals have gone, I felt really good about both of them. I am thankful that I've been doing well despite having my attention somewhat diverted from school work. There's obviously a good reason for it, but I just know that God has been helping me along every step of the way.

Well, that was basically my week! Now I just have a few little errands to take care of before I'm ready to be home and working a bit at the thrift store (and doing more shadowing!). I hope you enjoyed my baby animal post as much as I enjoyed writing it. Nothing lifts my spirits more than precious young creatures with big, round eyes.

And happy early Valentine's Day to all! I hope you can celebrate it with people you love. I will try to do the same here at school with my friends. But before I go, I wish to share with you something else that I love (besides the people in my life):

That's right. My home state! Part of the reason I want to be a vet is so that I can support agriculture in Minnesota because I just really feel loyal to the place where I grew up. It would sort of be my way of giving back to my community.

Because that's what Valentine's Day is for me. It's about celebrating all sorts of love, not just romantic. And chocolate. It's also about eating chocolate.