Hello kiddo's!

So I'm almost halfway through second semester right now, which means that I passed first (yay). And if you guys haven't heard, second semester is literal hell.

But anyways, I will try and give you guys an update on my life for the past few months and not bore you with the mundane schedule of my life currently. So let's rewind to right before the August break.

Apparently, my nightmare of a trip back to the United States is legendary here at Ross, and even halfway into the semester other students will still ask me, "Wait, were YOU the one girl on the Charlotte flight?" Yes. Yes I was. Just so everyone knows, it is common knowledge down here that you need to arrive at the Robert L. Bradford airport 3 hours or more before your flight, and if you arrive later than that, American Airlines can and will give away your seat even if you had booked months in advance. A friend of mine had that happen to her and she literally had to cry before they asked someone else to give up their seat since they had given hers away. With that knowledge in mind, I arrived at the airport at 1:45 for a 4:40 flight. AA has recently merged with US Airways, and previously you had been able to check in and get your boarding passes at those fancy kiosks and skip the line. When I tried it, neither US Airways or AA could find my flight info at all- even though I had been sent an email the night before with my seat number (guaranteed travel, essentially.) So I stood in line to check my two bags......until 4:25. I now had 15 minutes to sprint upstairs with my carry-on and personal bag, make it through security, and get on the actual plane. If I hit any of you readers on my way to the plane...sorry. Anyways, I made it up to the single room with 3 terminals and meet up with people I know who are on my flight who are all nursing various alcoholic beverages. And I hear an announcement, "Now boarding US Airways, final boarding call."

My friends didn't budge. There was a US Airways flight going to Miami which was supposed to leave at 4:30, and that plane was right in front. I saw a British Airways flight, and a Liat (a Caribbean plane), but didn't see my plane. You guessed it again! It was MY plane boarding, the Miami one was delayed, and my plane was actually parked a good 400 yards away down the tarmac. So my friends and I sprinted down and up onto the plane. Whew! 4:39. Made it.

And then we sat there. On the tarmac. For an hour. The pilot's voice came over the night, "Ladies and gentlemen.... St. Kitts radio tower will not answer me and I don't know why we're just sitting here." *Sigh*

Storms over St. Kitts; this happened to be
the day of my first Anatomy Exam

So finally we were able to take off. And 3.5 hours later, we found ourselves circling over Charlotte due to heavy storms, debating between waiting out the storm or flying to another airport due to our low fuel levels. Luckily we were able to land....except there were another 20 planes that had landed first and needed to get their passengers off. Since we were an international flight, we had to wait even longer since we needed to go to a gate to get through customs. Now I had a connecting flight to my hometown that was supposed to take off an hour after I landed- poor planning on my part, since it can take up to 2 hours to even get through customs without any flight delays, which the combo of waiting for an hour and taking forever to get off the plane just filled up. I resigned myself to just taking the next flight out. An upper semester friend of mine was in the same boat (same connecting flight, both from same region, it was awesome!). Imagine our surprise when we got to customs to recheck our bags, and the customs official said, all flights have been delayed due to the storm, your flight has been moved from 10:10 to midnight. He and I almost leapt in the air with joy. But we quickly calmed down and decided just to get to the terminal as fast as possible anyways because with our combined luck, bad things were sure to happen.

It turns out that our flight was delayed- but instead of midnight like the lady told us, it was only delayed until 11:05.

So Steve and I were literally sprinting through the Charlotte Airport, banging our bags into people, yelling at them to move (because obviously, our flight was at the far end of the terminal!). I ended up losing a makeup bag with about $300 worth of makeup in there- whoever is currently using my Naked eyeshadow pallet I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH IT YOU JERK!#!#$!$#!&@*(#&. Anyhoo. So Steve get to the terminal before me, and I hear the magic words:

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE ******* KIDDING ME."

It was 11:02. They closed the doors early and wouldn't let us on. All 35 of us who were travelling from St. Kitts.

What was funny was there was an AA flight to Philadelphia in the terminal next to us who closed their doors, left, came back and picked up the people from my flight going to Philly. But not our plane. Our plane sat there for an additional 50 minutes while one man screamed obscenities the entire time. Since Steve and I had gotten there first, we were able to be rebooked onto the 7:45 am Sunday flight with only 3 seats available. The next flight out was Monday. That poor man. Oh, and of course due to "weather related delays" AA didn't put any of us up in a hotel. We tried to argue that this was the airline's fault, and additionally it was the same day as the huge computer glitch out of D.C. that affected all flights on the East Coast that weekend. It didn't matter. Steve just looks at me and says, "What's one more all-nighter?"

At least our sunsets are pretty.

So after a long and horrible night in Charlotte (no food vendors were open so we were both starving), we get on the morning flight. Waited for another 3 hours on the tarmac because right before we were about to take off, we were taxied off to the side due to a "faulty parking brake." Steve looked over at me and whispered, "You look like you're about to murder someone." So then I got up to use the bathroom, and AA said, "Just kidding! Go ahead and fly, you'll be fine." While I was in there. The flight attendants wouldn't let me get back to my seat, which was LITERALLY 3 rows in front of the bathroom. I was stuck in there until they turned off the seat belt sign. It wasn't until I got back to Ross that I realized I could have pretended to hit my head, sued, and have my tuition freaking paid for. But I digress.

So I finally landed in my hometown, and all I want to do is pass out at home. I had called my parents, who were picking me up, while I was on the plane in Charlotte telling them to check the flight times as we were delayed. And when I got my checked bags, I walked outside, called them, and heard, "Wait, you just landed? Oh honey, we're still an hour away- we haven't even left yet! See you soon."

And for the next 5 hours I was given tours of the farm and got to see all the beautiful changes and renovations we made to it- all while delirious with sleep deprivation.


Break went as expected- saw friends, ate amazing American food, spent time with family, etc. And then I was excited to fly back to the rock and move in with my amazing.....coconut retriever! Everyone, meet Toothless. She's a 1 year old island hound, who had been hit by a car and put up for adoption by S.A.F.E. Named after the dragon from How to Train Your Dragon (Mom, if you saw the movie, you would understand. It's not a stupid name!).

She literally looks just like him when she opens her mouth. It's creepy as hell!

But thank god she's here. As I mentioned above, second semester is the weed-out semester. We have Anatomy II with Lanning, who is a fan of application Scantron tests with options A-J. It's not just about identification anymore, and the only LRC exam for the semester is the final. Every other exam is a practical, which scares the hell out of me. I was able to pass the first one with a C+, and honestly I'm just thankful that I passed. Currently I'm in Week 4 of a 9 week section of at least one exam per week. And it's only now that I've had an exam for each class that I have a grasp on how professors are going to ask questions.

For those who are interested:

Page 13/35 so far.

Physiology: Reich is Reich. Same as he's always been. His questions are tricky although he doesn't mean to actually trick you. My favorite class.

Immunology: A "dual-taught" class that has been taught largely (with the exception of one lecture) by a new professor named Dr. Toka. My least favorite class.

Parasitology: Frankly, the worst class of all time. Prepare for a level of detail you never knew existed. It's only a 3 credit class, but you easily put in just as much work for it as you do for Anatomy or Physio. Currently they are teaching it by taxonomic groups rather than host species, and we are the last semester out of three to have a different teaching style, so I cannot comment on classes for future semesters. Not my least favorite- I see why it's important, but I just get so bored with it.

Anatomy: It's Lanning. So know everything about everything. I'm not kidding.

I'm also in an elective called Food Animal Production, and if you were an Animal Science major, this is apparently just a recap of those classes. Meets once a week and is a night class, but is mandatory attendance. Provides interesting info but nothing you haven't really seen before, except maybe a few new breeds.

Basically, I'm just putting my head down and trying to get off the struggle bus and onto the studying grind. My day now consists of waking up at 6:30 am, let the dog out, go to class until 5, go home, let the dog out, go back to campus and study until 11/12ish, go home, talk to the boyfriend, and pass out when exhausted.

Although I did win Island Idol on Friday. So I'll be enjoying my first massage in two years courtesy of Red Semester. WOOOOOOOO!

Wow guys, it's been a while! I noticed that my last post was made back in the middle of May, and honestly, not too many things have changed since then. I made a second hike up Mt. Liamuiga, I've been to Nevis twice, my parents visited me for a day and I was able to show them the campus and around some parts of St. Kitts....and lots and lots of studying.

There was one span in which I literally had an exam per week for 6-7 weeks straight, and it's almost impossible to keep up with all of your classes in a situation such as that. Most likely, you will try and study for each class 2-3 hours per day per class, and then realize that with an exam on Wednesday, you need to totally focus on PID at the expense of every other class. Then Wednesday night, you realize that you haven't touched Physiology since 3 weeks ago when you had your Anatomy practical and LRC exam, so you buzz through 18 lectures and realize you know nothing. So you panic, and after that exam the following Wednesday is the Micro exam........and so on and so forth.

So my hell month has finally ended, and now it's just crunch time into finals week. We have our Anatomy practical this following Friday, and one final each on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It's a bit overwhelming.

But don't stress! If you are reading this blog with the intention of going into vet school, you should understand by now that this is a serious and difficult endeavor, and vet school will be the hardest years of your life. But if you sacrifice now, you will emerge with a larger understanding both of what you are capable of and how it will all pay off in the long term! If you are like my parents or friends and just want to know what I've been up to, I'm still alive. (Roosifie, unfortunately I'm starting to have cravings for coffee......so I guess you win at converting me to the caffeine life!)

Right lateral view of canine thoracic cavity and branches of the aorta;
nerves are not included and instead are located in another drawing.

If you are interested, I do have an Instagram account where I post pictures of life on St. Kitts and at RUSVM, and recently I have been posting pictures of how I study, mostly through extremely colorful pictures/notes. I am a very visual and action-based learner, so I tend to live in the library with a classical music playlist and a stack of coloring utensils nearby while I draw out necessary anatomical features, species differences, etc. However, for conceptual lectures, I tend to re-write slides in words without pictures, and I'll add in some related diseases/clinical findings. I've found that showing pictures of these pages is fairly intimidating since I tend to write very small and the colors are impossible to figure out if you don't have my brain/method of thinking. There are also hidden references to badass quotes a la Samuel L. Jackson's Snakes on a Plane scene, or plans for what I will do when I get back to the States, or just venting my sheer frustration. Try and find out what your study habits are like as early as possible!

 Only 17 days until I get to go back to the US!!!!!

Thoracic and Pelvic branches of the aorta/ notable arteries directly
mentioned in our notes. Some organs have been removed for clarity.

Sorry for the loooong delay :(

(See title.)

My apologies to those who read my blog- after Valentine's Day, things got very hectic very quickly! A little summary of all the things that have happened to me between then and now:

This picture ended up on Instagram of me looking like I just
took a leisurely stroll. My shirt ended up dark brown, and I'm
covered in sweat. I was 9 pounds less at the end of the hike.




1. I hiked up Mt. Liamuiga, one of the most challenging things I have ever done in my life. Here is some info if you are interested in hiking the volcano. I went with about 9 other girls who are all way more fit than I am, but we managed to do the hike without a tour guide (our crater descent only took 45 minutes, the ascent took 1 hour 35 min: apparently this is a pretty good time!). The views at the top though are totally worth the physical exertion. Once you reach the top, all I could feel was a sense of awe and extreme pride. But it got even better when we decided to climb down into the crater itself. The picture on the right makes it seem like like the crater is maybe 50 feet below the rock I'm standing on. It's actually greater than 1,000 feet, and the only way down- or up- it is by propelling down using ropes and roots to hold onto down an 80-85 degree slope. I have no idea how I made it back up the volcano to the peak again.
2. Went horseback riding on Nevis through the AAEP organization. We went riding on the beach, one of our tour guides took his horse swimming, and we only had one mishap throughout the entire trip. Best of all, the owner of the stables is originally from Pittsburgh, which was nice to have a little bit of home so far away! The horses were all Thoroughbreds from the racing tracks at Puerto Rico and St. Kitts, but they are very good mounts- most of them were bombproof, and while we had a beginner with us, everyone felt very safe throughout the ride.
3. Did very well on my last general block exam and the finals- ended up with 3 A's and a B for vet prep :)
4. Was able to go home and see my family, friends, and all my animals. Pretty much the entire break consisted of me traveling or riding (although there was one day I stayed at home because I FINALLY HAVE CABLE AT MY HOUSE YAYY) I also managed to fit in a horse show and managed to find a trailer, bring one experienced horse and one who had never been to a show ever, and two girls who have never shown before, and nobody panicked! And now I've given the girls the bug, because they've been messaging me with upcoming fun shows in their vicinity for when I come back to the States in August. (Rebecca and Carli- bring your A game!!)

The size of the crater. Girl is 5'1''.

So I guess it's about that time where I describe the classes in more detail and my advice regarding the professors and how to study for the block exams. I'll try and approach this class by class.

          Microbiology- Dr. Rajeev is new to the island, but don't let that fool you! She is one of my favorite professors because she likes to have fun and make the class interesting, but microbiology itself is almost entirely memorization. Go to the TA sessions- especially if Kristen is TA'ing. She is a fantastic TA who mostly uses shortcuts, mnemonics, and diagrams/pictures to get important concepts across. Even so, it's possible to do well- most of my peers got A's in this class. But she will call you out if you're not paying attention in class, and she remembers those who are disrespectful...

          Pharmacology- Dr. Shokry (conceptual topics)/Dr. Boots (most of the math portion) dual-teach this class. It may seem at first that all you're learning is verbatim off of the Powerpoints, but this class is challenging, especially if you have difficulty with math-based applications. The exams are 10 math problems (beginning with conversions) and 10 conceptual multiple choice questions. Essentially, you should memorize the book that Dr. Shokry gives you verbatim, and his examples in the book WILL show up on the exam. Dr. Boots uses a lot more examples than Dr. Shokry, and often times will come up with math problems in her head and works them out in class with you. She tries to make class fun by sorting you into Houses a la Harry Potter, and based on your groups clicker answers, the House with the most points at the end of the semester gets a surprise. Elliot was our TA and I urge everyone to always go to his sessions- they were so incredibly helpful! 

Two weeks after our cow lab, this happened. So cute!

          Case-Based/Clinical Applications- This class may seem tedious at first, but towards the end of the semester, you gain an appreciation for all that goes into evaluating, diagnosing, and treatment of patients of all species. The Case-Based portion is a group discussion focusing on one case for a minimum of 2 weeks, and is almost strictly participation-based. Usually there will be a 1-2 page paper due every week that will require you to use textbook references from the library, and most online publications will not be allowed. The Clinical Applications aspect is where you'll actually get hands-on experience (on real animals!) with physical exams and pinpointing out specific structures and landmarks. You'll start out with a dog physical exam, followed by cows, the famous sheep day, a 2-week equine lab depending on the schedule of the various professors, and then a debate or two. You'll meet a variety of different professors, but your only requirement is to show up. Clin. App. is the class you will need to wear scrubs, boots, and/or coveralls and you will need your stethoscope. I know there is conflicting advice about what to bring, but I strongly urge you to just bring your stuff down with you instead of waiting to buy it from students here like I did. I didn't get my coveralls until the last two weeks (and by then we didn't need them).

          Veterinary Terminology- Dr. Heyliger is like your favorite grandfather who tells the same stories every time you see him, but he's just so adorable that you can't get annoyed with him. This class was at 9:00 am on Fridays, and you will need a cup or two or ten of coffee to stay awake. But he pretty much gives you the answers to his exams, and he tells you exactly what material will be on there. I'll warn you that he very quickly learns students' names in his class, and if several people skip his class, he intentionally makes the exams much harder. Please just go to class.

          Cellular Physiology- Dr. Reich. The rumors are true.

In actuality, I loved having class with him. You'll hear the phrase, "The liver is a gracious and magnanimous organ" over and over and over again, and you'll finally get an appreciation of why the liver is so important. It's a shame that most of my previous classes ran out of time to teach about the liver, and merely saying "the liver clears toxins from the body" is a gross understatement to its capabilities and functions. However, this class is very fast-paced, and is the graveyard for many students. Many of my friends were very worried around finals about whether they would advance to 1st Semester because of this class. His exams are challenging- 15 multiple choice, 15 True/False questions. I'll let you guys know- he is not trying to trick you. You need to read the question literally, word for word, slow down, and just think about what he's asking you. Here are some example questions: 

1. What do the enzymes glucokinase and protein kinase A have in common? 
1. They catalyze reactions in the glycolytic pathway
2. They have an active site for ATP
3. One of the substrates in the reaction they catalyze is a protein
4. They catalyze the oxidation of one substrate and the reduction of another substrate
5. They are peptides

1. What are the two reabsorption pressures at capillary endothelium
1. Capillary hydrostatic pressure and plasma colloid oncotic pressure
2. Capillary hydrostatic pressure and interstitial fluid hydrostatic pressure
3. Plasma colloid oncotic pressure and interstitial fluid hydrostatic pressure
4. Plasma colloid oncotic pressure and interstitial fluid colloid pressure
5. Interstitial fluid hydrostatic pressure and interstitial fluid colloid oncotic pressure

1. IP₃ is an example of a calcium binding protein. 
1. True
2. False

1. Lactate is a gluconeogentic substrate
1. True
2. False

See? These aren't too bad.....

One of my favorite ladies in my life.

You'll cover all of these subjects by Week 14. Just stay on top of your studying- don't go out to the beaches every single weekend, and plan to study about an hour or two for every hour you're in class. I would study for about 4-5 hours per night and rewrite out the notes or listen to lectures again through Lecture Capture/Panopto. The weekend days were devoted to reviewing and cutting down my notes to eliminate concepts I knew very well and reviewing those I didn't. The night after our block final.....well we'll just say we were happy to be on an island and even more happy to be done studying for two weeks (Dad- I still did well in my classes).

And a happy v-day to you too!

What week am I in? Is this week 6 or 7? Nope, definitely week 7 which means I'm HALFWAY DONE with Vet Prep! In honor of Valentine's Day, my OL group did a secret valentine exchange.

Proof that you CAN bake with the toaster ovens provided-
may look messy, but they turned out delicious.

My friend's Valentine's gift! Fresh picked flowers
and a bottle of sauvignon blanc.

We all got pretty creative with our gifts, ranging from wine to handpicked flowers to Double-Stuffed Oreos and Hershey's Kisses (thanks Christina!!) to cheesecakes to cute handmade Valentine's pictures taped on all of our doors. A few girls and I wanted to celebrate a bit further, so we went over to the Marriott for some R&R by the pool. We only spent about 4-5 hours there, but the experience only solidified why having your own transportation is almost crucial on St. Kitts.

Not the best picture, but hey, we were all jumping
around the entire time.

     We had contacted a local taxi to take us over to the Marriott and told him we would call him when he should come and pick us up. The drivers' rates are variable- it costs $20EC (about $8 US) per total ride, but some drivers have you pay $10 EC for the ride there and for the ride back while some just have you pay upfront or when you get back to Ross. Anyways, we each paid all of our money when we got to the Marriott which was a bad idea overall.

    We called the guy around 4:00 who told us that he would come and get us at 4:45.  He didn't show up. We called him at 5:00, he said he would only be a few more minutes. We called him again around 5:20, he said that he was right around the corner. As soon after we called our fellow VP friend to come and get us, he showed up saying that fellow students had wasted his time which why he was late. In any case, it didn't matter- we were still late getting home. Normally it wouldn't be such a big deal, but we were with a first semester friend who had to be back by 5:30 so she could walk her kennel dogs. It is part of your grade for 1st semester to walk your dog(s) on time, and you can only walk them at certain times throughout the day. We didn't get back to campus until 6:00. Moral of the story- make sure you research your taxi drivers. There are about two who really respect students and understand their time constraints- figure them out and you'll be ok.

   So after that, a few of my other friends went to a free concert celebrating the opening of St. Christopher's Harbor. The opening act was a local reggae guy named Banky Banks (who was pretty fun!) But the real fun and headliner- Darius Rucker. And it was free. He sang most of his top charting songs, both from his solo career and a few Hootie and the Blowfish songs, and most of us students were only about 30 feet from the stage. It was honestly one of the best concerts I have ever been to, and it was just another reminder that life on St. Kitts is not as different as that in Pittsburgh.

I leave you with this gorgeous parting gift. Until next week!

Happy almost mid-semester break from yours truly at the Marriott on St. Kitts!

The things I miss from home

As I think I've mentioned before, I come from western Pennsylvania. My friends are currently sending me texts, posting pictures on Facebook, and Snapchatting me pictures of the "Snowmageddon" (HAH!) mixed in with partly-joking death threats of how jealous they are of me living in the Caribbean. So to placate them (and because I'm feeling nostalgic), here's a list of the things I miss from home.

My view a few days ago.What snowstorm?

1. Obviously, my family and friends. But I sortof miss my pets more- my family understands why I felt and that I'm returning home at scheduled times (this April and Christmases). But the last time I saw my cat and my horses, I was in tears on Christmas Day and they had no clue why I was upset. Just thinking about that brings me to tears, and since I'm in the library surrounded by 40 other people, we'll just skip on ahead.
2. Snow. This is the winter season here on St. Kitts, which means it's 70-90 degrees with 75% humidity and a medium breeze, so it's tolerable for me...barely. The only precipitation is the daily rainstorms and sweat. Apparently it is almost intolerable here in August- there's no breeze and it gets even hotter. Plus the threat of hurricanes makes me yearn to build a snowman and igloos again.
3. Having semi-reliable transportation. My fellow VP and 1st semester students are looking up cars/scooters for sale while the going is good. I think I'll be able to survive until April without transportation or borrowing rides off of other people. But be warned- buying a car or a scooter is almost inevitable. There is a bus system that only costs $2.50EC or $1 US per ride, but it is infrequent and terrifying. And the buses only travel to port and back. Luckily there is a grocery store on the way, but it is one of the more expensive ones on St. Kitts, and if you go only when you need food, you will be stuck squished beside four other people in the backseat of an old bus with 15 grocery bags on your lap, hoping your milk (that expires in 2 days) won't break out of the bag. As for the buses themselves.... Friends from the states- you know that I am an awful driver. I'll only say this once: "The bus drivers here are quite possibly the worst drivers on the planet. Combine road rage with 80mph on a 20mph road filled with potholes, and you've never known true fear like this."
4. Privacy. When you begin your schooling here at Ross, you are provided housing on campus or off-campus if on-campus is filled or if you are bringing a pet down with you. The dorms are stereotypical of traditional college dorms. You can hear your neighbor get out of bed, start cooking bacon, singing in the shower (guilty). But you are only there for 4 months, after which you are required to find housing. Fortunately, I'm going to be rooming with a classmate who I really like and understands my need to occasionally belt Ed Sheeran or Queen songs, and my current roommates don't mind as long as I cook them food from time to time. I hope my future neighbors like good music...
5. Freedom. I have a lot of freedom down here. Freedom from being forced to skip vacations or trips because my pets needed fed. Freedom from (some) responsibilities. But I'm trapped by things stereotypical of a graduate school and of trying to be an adult. Wait, what? The Superbowl is today? Sorry, I have block exams tomorrow covering four classes, can't watch.
6. Playing the piano, singing music that's not on the radio, any music that's not reggae.
7. Simplicity. Perhaps the hardest thing about getting settled in a Caribbean island is that it is far more difficult to get anything done here. For example, many landlord do not accept US checks because they take 6 weeks to process. So you have to open up a bank account down here and request checks. Which I did. 6 weeks ago. The banks don't notify you when they have your debit card or checkbooks ready to be picked up, so you have to call them. But no one answers their phone down here- the "island time" struggle is real. So you have to find somebody to take you to the bank (at the exact location that you created the account, no sharing here!) in-between classes. You need to have a four hour block free, because that's how long it takes you to get through everything at the bank, and after 3 1/2 hours of waiting, the bank tells you they don't have everything together yet and if you could come back at a later point in time. If you go to a restaurant, be prepared to spend about 2-3 hours there. An hour to get your food, another hour or hour and a half to get your check, and more time devoted to waiting until they bring your change. It only gets easier to deal with because you get used to it.

Now, this list does not mean in any way that I hate being here. I love it down here- I thank God every day that I'm able to pursue my dreams, albeit in a different route than I thought I was going to take. So allow me to get back to studying with the knowledge that yes, you will miss a lot of things from home; but in this world, its all about the journey.

                                                                     After all, "If it were easy, everyone would be doing it."

“You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don’t think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully.” 

— Anthony Robbins 

Week 1 - Vet Prep

Happy Saturday, everyone! This first week as been a blur- meetings, and lectures every day. I guess the most difficult aspect of getting settled into a graduate program is the scheduling: every day is different. This week, I had one lecture on Monday, four on Tuesdays, two on Wednesday, four on Thursday, and then one Friday morning followed by general advice regarding transitioning to the island, where to seek help if need be, etc. Also! We were introduced to the "block exam" concept- each class submits 15-20 questions that are worth about 2 or 3 points each. You take one singular 2 hour long exam; its meant to keep students studying for the entire semester, not worry about an exam on Tuesday, and then an exam on Friday. They really want us to retain the information for the long term (no kidding!).

I've been studying every night so far and am just trying to figure out how I study best. Our Orientation group has been studying all together in one rom, and occasionally I find it's distracting with 18 people studying for anatomy and the four VP's studying for cell physiology. However, we're a good group- it only took 30 minutes for everyone to settle down and actually begin studying. The rest of my week studying has been in the library or the study rooms by myself. I guess we'll just see how it goes.

This is essentially my last weekend of freedom before classes really start getting intense (it was mostly syllabus week and review), so a few of my friends are going out to Shipwreck beach for a few hours and then back to studying tonight!

Week 0 - Welcome to Ross & Orientation Week

The Atlantic to your left, the Caribbean to your right. Day One in St. Kitts and Nevis.

It's currently the day before classes start. I would input more on Orientation week, but that's probably not the reason you are reading this blog. You're considering Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine because, well, maybe your grades were not competitive enough to get into a United States Vet School. Maybe you weren't in a high percentile with your GRE scores. Or maybe none of the above, and you just want to party on a Caribbean island for 2 1/2 years.

One of my horses (BB) and I all dressed up
for a Halloween parade.

My name is Samantha, and I am a 22 year old incoming Vet Prep semester student. I did my undergrad at a small, private, liberal arts school near Pittsburgh, PA that had an excellent reputation for producing doctors, veterinarians, and other health-based professionals. I graduated with a low-competitive GPA of 2.91, but I had a GRE score in the 92 percentile. Looking back, I realize that my grades were due to devoting too much time to clubs and other activities. I was a member of my college's select choir, I was co-captain of the Equestrian Team, and I worked part time at a local Standardbred racetrack when I wasn't in school. The most time-consuming activity however were the horses, alpacas, chickens, cats, and a dog I owned and cared for at our private family farm, and by the time I would get done with barn chores and back to the college, it would be 11:00 at night and I would have to start studying. I was not considered competitive for the American vet schools, but I knew that being a veterinarian was my passion in life. I chose RUSVM because they are giving me a chance to pursue my dream- instead of solely looking at GRE and GPA, they question the reasons why those factors are low for each individual student.

My first view of St. Kitts was at 11:00 at night after traveling for 18 hours, and the lights around the coastline faded away into a black expanse. Walking through the airport (after experiencing the marvels of the Pittsburgh and Miami International Airports, this airport is TINY!), we were processed through customs and were sent to meet our Orientation Leaders outside the airport and took our first look around. Most of us were so exhausted that we just took out our sheets and pillows and passed out without even thinking of unpacking the rest of our luggage.

The view from the Marriott beach!

The following day, we visited the gorgeous Marriott for breakfast and our first look around the island, which gave me this beautiful photo. The next two days were spent visiting the Strip (beach and restaurants), Sprat Net (restaurant), and Reggae Beach (very pretty beach- but STAY AWAY from the Rum Punch, its potent.)
So then, necessary recovery days were planned, and in the meantime my group went grocery shopping, took care of our visa forms, and most of the other things like insurance cards, refund checks, laundry cards, and generally all hanging around together and meeting people from different groups on the bat cave hike and the Catamaran trip/ snorkeling adventure. I would comment more about the things I was able to do during Orientation week, but it would take a long while and is a little redundant. Besides, the point of this blog is to inform potential students about the realities of studying veterinary medicine abroad.

 So anyways, feel free to email me at farabeest@gmail.com or comment here with any questions, and I hope you enjoy reading this!