Hi All! I'm a pre-vet student with a learning disability (it takes me longer to grasp concepts). I am currently doing well in all of my classes but I'm worried that when I get to vet school, I will be overwhelmed and fail out. If anyone here has a learning disability, can you tell me how you manage it and how vet school is going for you? Please feel free to PM me if you don't want to post. Thank you!
Learning Disabilities?
- Thread starter Doggiepoo
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Not me, but I have a friend who is severely dyslexic. She is currently a second year vet student, and while she studies A LOT, she's doing fine - I think probably in the middle of her class. She does receive special accommodations for her disability - at her school, if you have a documented disability, you undergo testing and they make accomodations for you based on the results (this may be true at every school, I don't know). She receives extra time for exams, and if there is an exam with images (first year Histology has slides, which they show twice, with a fixed time limit) she is able to look at them on a computer and go over them as many times as she needs to.
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I am dyslexic and have ADD. However, the documentation for my issues was destroyed 3 years ago at my previous undergrad (I am a non trad.)
One thing that helps me a lot is using a computer. I don't take hand written notes, everything is on my laptop and I type (the concept of letter/sounds is fine, it is the visual confusion on some of them that I struggle with) all my notes.
I do struggle with the time requirements of tests. It isn't that I can't answer the questions fast enough, it is that the dyslexia means I make really simple mistakes in reading/interpreting questions. So I may be re-evaluated over the semester break to get some accomodation (different fonts, larger type, perhaps more time.)
I did fail my histology practical; I was literally blinded by the microscope light. I knew it was a problem before, but didn't realize how much it would affect my ability to view slides in the alotted time (~1min per slide per quesiton.) So, after looking in the scope, it took about 30 seconds to have my eyes adjust to be able to write/read the question. Without the mandated accomodations, the instructor has been very helpful... he obtained a polarizing lens to help reduce glare (contrast as well, but it helps) and is willing to provide more time if I need it. I think it helped that I do extremly well on the written part of his exam and on the quizes which are displayed on a projection screen.
I can't advise you for your particular disability, and I recommend figuring out what accomodations you may need NOW and getting all the documentation together and organized before entering vet school. We cover a lot of material every day, but at the same time, most of the actual concepts aren't really difficult. It isn't like grasping principles and major concepts for the first time; it is more about identification, pattern recognition, and understanding the relationships between things (like GH and insulin.)
One thing that helps me a lot is using a computer. I don't take hand written notes, everything is on my laptop and I type (the concept of letter/sounds is fine, it is the visual confusion on some of them that I struggle with) all my notes.
I do struggle with the time requirements of tests. It isn't that I can't answer the questions fast enough, it is that the dyslexia means I make really simple mistakes in reading/interpreting questions. So I may be re-evaluated over the semester break to get some accomodation (different fonts, larger type, perhaps more time.)
I did fail my histology practical; I was literally blinded by the microscope light. I knew it was a problem before, but didn't realize how much it would affect my ability to view slides in the alotted time (~1min per slide per quesiton.) So, after looking in the scope, it took about 30 seconds to have my eyes adjust to be able to write/read the question. Without the mandated accomodations, the instructor has been very helpful... he obtained a polarizing lens to help reduce glare (contrast as well, but it helps) and is willing to provide more time if I need it. I think it helped that I do extremly well on the written part of his exam and on the quizes which are displayed on a projection screen.
I can't advise you for your particular disability, and I recommend figuring out what accomodations you may need NOW and getting all the documentation together and organized before entering vet school. We cover a lot of material every day, but at the same time, most of the actual concepts aren't really difficult. It isn't like grasping principles and major concepts for the first time; it is more about identification, pattern recognition, and understanding the relationships between things (like GH and insulin.)
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A few of my friends in class have learning disabilities. They study hard, but they are all doing fine. They get accommodations for exams (for the most part). It's definitely do-able, you just have to work hard (like everyone else). You can do it!
