By: Devon Atria

Hear-Yee Hear-Yee!  The Pre-Vet Club has been officially chartered!  All students welcome.  Come one, come all!

This club has been charted mainly to assist students who are interested in veterinary medicine, but there will be something for everyone.  For students that have known their whole life they wanted to be a vet to students who just love animals, this club offers an abundance of activities that will interest a plethora of students.

Many students do not realize that veterinary schools have a varied set of requirements.  No two schools require the exact same courses.  One goal of this club is to advise students about the different requirements and processes associated with different veterinary schools and invite guest speakers who can be of assistance.  This club also plans on organizing visits to Tufts veterinary school, so that students can visit a real veterinary school and socialize with students and personnel.  In the Pre-Vet Club, upper-class students will buddy up with and aid under-class students who need to get started with different requirements as early as possible.  The main goal of all of this is to educate students who are interested in a career in veterinary medicine.

Another of the requirements for vet school is experience.  The new Pre-Vet Club will have info sessions that will instruct students on how and where to find internships and will provide general information about which internships are more beneficial.  Another goal is to set up a website on the Brandeis network that will help students find places that are offering internships where other students or alumni have worked.  This web site is expected to be functioning before summer break.

For students that are still unsure if veterinary medicine is right for them, the club will educate students about the various fields of veterinary medicine.  There are many areas in which a veterinary student can specialize.  It is our goal to have alumnae speakers or local vets with various specializations come to speak about their respective fields.  Hopefully an unsure student will become inspired by a speaker and decide to specialize in a similar field.

The Pre-Vet Club is not only for prospective students of veterinary medicine, but will involve any student with a love for animals.  This club will raise animal awareness on campus through community service involvement.  Club members will visit animal shelters and be encouraged to join other local events in support of animals.  Thus, any student who loves animals is invited to join.  The support of every student is welcome.

The first official meetings will begin next year and a list serve has been set up at pre-vet@lists.brandeis.edu.  Any student interested is encouraged to email the list serve or bethanyc@brandeis.edu.  The opportunities and experiences afforded by this club are almost as numerous as the types of animals, but a club is only as good as the students who join, so all students are encouraged to become involved.