What is the most helpful/useful/important thing you have learned this term, that will help you (or someone else!) next term?

“Try not to get overwhelmed with the assignments, especially as the course progresses. Just breathe and tackle it as it gets assigned. Also, take advantage of everything that you can in the school! The teachers are happy to help and want you to succeed. If you are struggling, say something! Don’t struggle in silence.”
Chelsey Lanthier, AGFVE

1. “Think about your assignments piece by piece, rather than as a whole.
When you think about the sheer amount of assignments you have all at once, it usually overwhelms you. However, if you consider what will be due day by day, you can think practically about when you should work on certain assignments, and how much time you’ll need to allocate to each one.

2. Get feedback from your peers on your assignments, and also give feedback honestly.
No one really benefits from sugarcoating much-needed criticism. It may be hard to hear sometimes, but you’ll benefit in the long run if you learn to take and give criticism. Consider the advice other people give to you, whether they have lots of experience on the topic or none at all. Second opinions should be welcome.

3. Get started on assignments early, instead of leaving them til later.
Even if you only work on something a little bit, it’ll make a big difference. Getting started is often the biggest hurdle, so try to push yourself to get an early start on assignments. You should try to have at least a little bit more to show on an assignment from one class to the next, rather than doing the entire thing the day before the due date.“
Christina Raposo, GDWD

“I’d say the best advice I could give is don’t leave assignments until the last minute, take advantage of working on projects from school as much as possible; don’t doubt yourself and have fun!”

Bryan Lonergan, GDD

“My advice for future students is to really get involved with their studies; schedule about 3 hours a day each week just to read more into what that class had gone over that day, or the previous day. It helps in the long run when they bring up questions that they didn’t necessarily go over in the class, you’ll know it. Studying doesn’t have to be boring either, especially with the veterinary assistant program. If you search up any given word you’re bound to find lots of cool subjects and articles that will help you remember. There isn’t much that I didn’t know already before I took this course as I grew up on a farm and the discussed subjects were a lot of the things that I already knew beforehand, therefore there isn’t much that I wish I knew about before the course started.”
Krista Gerstmar, VHA

“One thing I wished I would’ve known before I started school was that the program is very fast paced; having to balance many projects all at once. Also it’s very essential to have a good working laptop before starting this program. My advice would be to be ready to work hard and be creative.”
Hanna Sartison, GDD