I remember reading an article on 'Dating Advice' last year put out by eHarmony, called "15 Reasons to Date a Veterinarian" At the time I thought it was a rather humorous list, and while I thought that most of the characteristics listed were pretty accurate, I also felt that most of them did not make good reasons to date a vet, if anything, I felt they were reasons to not date a vet.
I have not given this article any further thought, but OnceKitten over at WordPress has, and I couldn't agree more!
I popped onto Facebook today to see half-a-dozen classmates having shared her recent rebuttle to eHarmony's reasons. I encourage you all to take a moment to go read this before continuing on...
While many of my classmates are in long-term relationships, engaged or married- I think it's safe to say the clear majority are single. I also think it's safe to say that since I began VM1 year there have been more classmates that have gotten engaged during their existing relationships than there have been people starting new relationships.
It's not hard to imagine why so many vet students are single and remain that way during school. The hours spent in class/labs/club-related activities often consumes the better part of your day. It's not uncommon for me to have a day that starts at 7:40am and continues until 6pm with no break in classes/meetings- add in tutors/tutoring, wetlabs, etc and it can easily go until 9pm. Then what little free time you have is generally spent buried in your studies. Somedays I feel like feeding my pets takes too much of my time... Finding time to build and maintain a good relationship with somebody new? Yeah, good luck with that! Not to mention having time to go out and meet non-vet students (you're certainly not going to do well picking from the handful of single male students...)
The Friday before my Fall semester began this August I found myself dumped by my boyfriend of 10months. The bitter and poetic nature of that scenario is that I had to get my mess of a self to the Vet school to meet my VM1 and lead a group of new students during their orientation on a tour of the school. Even in the face of a break-up, my school responsibilities still would not grant me time for that relationship. And that relatioship started on a similar note- I had to cancel our first date because I got the opportunity to stay late for my equine castration wet-lab to help with some awesome cryptorchid procedures and watch one with complications. Doomed to fail from the start I suppose, but it certainly set the mood for how things would go...
And it's not just me dear readers, last Spring we had a couple of married Vets come to give an evening presentation (which I attended with the then boyfriend) that discussed the struggles of having a relationship with a veterinary student. Even those that come into vet school already in a relationship find their relationship suffering- especially when it means they have to become a long-distance relationship on top of everything else.
I have started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation for the first time (I promise, this is relevant!), and a conversation between the Captain and Wesley caught my attention:
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: For ambitious Starfleet officers, there are certain costs involved. You must be cautious of long-term commitments, Wesley.
Wesley Crusher: No problem. Where women are concerned, I am in complete control!
Truer words could not have been spoken regarding vet school- it's a huge commitment in itself and to yourself, it has to be a priority for you. Giving up having relationships (and a social life in general) is certainly a cost you pay... Does that mean you have to have a life of solitude? Of course not. Some people can make it work- and kudos to those that can- some people can't. And don't let me give the impression that vet school killed my relationship, because that was a dysfunctional relationship if I've ever had one, but in theory-land I think it could have done a little better, and it's certainly not a coincidence it ended just before classes began again.
In conclusion-I have since made the decision to swear off of men for the next few years and get a dog ;) haha Enough procrastinating- time to get to studying for Finals! Wish me luck!!! (I'm gonna need it!) And in light of Finals and the holidays, it will likely be a month or so before I make another post. Happy Holidays everyone (and good luck on Finals for those who have them!)
