Dayne

​Name: Dayne Ferrera | Hometown: Miami
Undergrad: FIU | Major: Biology
Veterinary Goal: Small animal practice owner
Special Skills: Planning vacations on a budget. 
Fun Fact: My biggest fear before starting vet school was that I wasn’t going to have time to exercise daily and that I was going to feel unhealthy and relapse to an eating disorder. It actually turned out that in my 2nd year and I’m now in the best shape and health I’ve ever been. 

Favorite Undergrad Course: Animal Behavior
Hardest Undergrad Course: Organic Chemistry. Start studying day 1. Also, not a huge deal if you don’t do great I got a C in Orgo 1 and a B in Orgo 2 and still made it into vet school. 
Best Vet School Prep: Working full time as a vet tech while being a full time student all throughout undergrad. Really learned time management and cramming during this.
Undergrad Extracurricular Activities: Karate competitor and instructor, Miami Zoo volunteer and studied abroad in South Africa. 
Recommended Undergrad Course: I really wish I would’ve taken some sort of anatomy. 

Letters of Rec Strategy: One of my letters was from one of the doctors that I worked with. He worked with me for 4 years and was a UF grad I really involved him in my whole application process asking for advice throughout the way. My most substantial letter was from my study abroad professor. She spent a month with me in South Africa, living with me and 11 other students. During this time she really got to know me in a personal level more than just about my intellect, I think that’s what made her recommendation letter so good. 

Interview Advice?: Be yourself, if you’re someone that likes speaking to people just think of it as a conversation and let it flow as calmly as possible. 

Describe Life in Veterinary School: You intake a ton of information and think that you can’t possibly retain it all and you feel really dumb when you’re studying. Then all of a sudden you’re studying something or talking about a case and realize that you actually know a lot more than you thought you did and that you might actually be a good veterinarian one day, and that particular moment gives you enough motivation to keep chugging along. 

What You Wish You Had Known Before Starting Vet School: It gets easier.