When I went through orientation for veterinary school before first year started, a common topic was support. I was told that there was no way to make it through veterinary school alone. ”You have to have your support system in place or you’ll go nuts,” the discussion leader said. I had my parents and the Captain and Best Friend. I thought they were all I needed.
I started first year and had a rough time adjusting to the course load and the pace of the classes. I leaned on Best Friend since she was a wise second year at the time. I talked to the Captain about how much I had to learn. I told my parents that I was happy to finally be in vet school. At that point in my veterinary school career, I didn’t realize how much I needed to form bonds with my classmates.
I sat between Left Side Friend (LSF) and Right Side Friend (RSF) for all of first year. We talked a lot about school but nothing really went deeper than that. Looking back, I don’t know why it took me so long to get close to LSF and RSF. In any case, it wasn’t until the beginning of second year that LSF, RSF, and I could call each other close friends. Now, at the end of my second year, I don’t know if I could have done it without them. Yes, I still have the Captain and I still have my parents and I still have Best Friend. However, it is comforting to be able to talk to people that know exactly what you mean.
When I tell the Captain about school, I usually have to include a lot of back-story before I can get to the point I wanted to make in the first place. The jokes that had the whole class in tears are not nearly as funny the second time around when I have to spend 5 minutes explaining the punchline. This is why I am glad that I have people like LSF and RSF. We joke about everything. There is no need to explain. They know exactly what I am going through and that is a different kind of support than what the Captain and my parents can provide.
While having a support system is important outside of vet school, having one inside of vet school is important, too. My classmates are going to be the people I can call when I’ve been out in practice for 10 year and I see something I’ve never seen before. My classmates are going to be the people I mention when talking to other veterinarians. I am thankful that I’ve discovered my support system is a lot broader than I thought.
