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Monday, March 18, 2024

Pre-vet students satisfy major requirements abroad

While the major may be intensive, opportunities for unique experiences still exist

Year after year, UC Davis continues to hold its standing as one of the top veterinary schools in both the country and the world. The school recently ranked number one for the fifth year in a row in a study done by QS University subject rankings, a reputable college ranking provider.

Due to its outstanding reputation, it’s no surprise that many incoming undergraduate students choose to apply to UC Davis to pursue a major in animal sciences in hopes of later furthering their education at the post-graduate veterinary school.

The major is notoriously challenging and the program is rigorous. Therefore, it might be assumed that there is little time for extracurricular activities or time to study abroad, but this isn’t always the case.

Students who are interested in studying abroad will find that a number of the available programs they can choose from include certain required classes to complete the animal science major, such as biological sciences or genetics, offered in Ireland and Europe.

Like most prospective veterinarians at UC Davis, fourth-year animal science major Oona Vanhatalo is currently taking specific classes to fulfill veterinary school requirements — while studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland.

“I did some more digging and found that I could do my vet school physics requirement in England, Scotland or Dublin,” Vanhatalo said. “I am doing the eight-week summer physics program. I chose Dublin for my study abroad because I knew people who had done the program in previous years. The Dublin summer physics program is well established, since it’s been around for five years.”

There is also a seminar abroad for equine welfare and management in Poland, a country with a long history of breeding Arabian horses, one of the most popular breeds of horses used in many equestrian sports. UC Davis offers this program to help diversify the type of education that animal science majors have access to.

Fourth-year animal science major Emily Belshin is completing the “Physics 7” series over the summer at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England in order to accelerate her learning back at Davis.

“My program abroad has offered me an acceleration of the physics series,” Belishin said. “This was an ideal situation for me because physics isn’t actually required for my major; however, it is required for veterinary school. Therefore, my summer abroad program was a great way to finish physics quickly, so I don’t have to worry about it during the school year, and considering that I need it for my veterinary school applications.”

Written by: Isabella Beristain — features@theaggie.org

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