Hello from the Red Stick.

I am a 25 year old male from Baton Rouge, LA. I suffer from low self-esteem which began early in college. Since graduating I have worked as a vet tech at a small, Small Animal clinic while applying to LSU's Vet school.

I was unable to make any lasting friendships throughout school. Since parting ways with my college roommates, the only contact I have with people my age is at work and any type of relationship I have with them outside of work is minimal.

This will be my fourth attempt at applying to vet school, if I decide to. I applied last year but did not ask the doctor (or anyone for that matter) for a recommendation letter, so it came as no surprise when I was not accepted for this coming year's class.

Needless to say, I have been an unhappy person for the last several years. I do have things I enjoy doing, but these things do not happen everyday.

I have been reading this forum off-and-on for the last month or two. I try not to visit here too often as I am always reminded of how I feel about myself.

Hi Newmanium. (Newman, or New Man?)

Keep pushing yourself on the vet school thing. It's not unusual to have to apply many times. Have you considered the University of Georgia or NC State? I think that's awesome. My daughter wants to be a vet (she's 10). Do you live near family or are you able (or want) to move? Maybe a change of scenery could be good. If you are one who is motivated to reach out to see what's available, there are usually a lot of social groups available to guys your age, such as church groups (every denomination from Christian to Unitarian), sports groups, etc. What are your interests?

Welcome!

Newman,

I also suffer from lost self-esteem. I know how you feel. It can be crippling.

One great book I recommend is: "Feel the Fear and do it ANYWAY." You can push through the fear to reach your goals. You should commend yourself for what you've done so far, and the bravery you have exhibited. So many people just dream, but you've TRIED. Right there, you've pushed farther than many others.

Please don't be ashamed to come to this site. There are many wonderful people like Teach, Angelus, Robin, Cooljohn, and many, many others.

Don't let the Guest Trolls keep you away!

Thank you for the replies. I stole this nickname from the famous Seinfeld character Newman. He planned on hosting a millennium party titled Newmanium. Anyways...

Several schools have different pre-requisites for admission than LSU. From what I gather LSU's Vet School is rather lax in that area. Perhaps I should have given this more thought while I was still in school. Nonetheless, BR is my hometown and I feel the most comfortable here. If I continue to pursue this, I will do so here.

I do have relatives in town. My aunt, cousins, and their families live here. They are all very nice to me, just sometimes I get the feeling I do not belong. My parents live in Utah. I speak to them once or twice a week.

I do not have many interests and the ones I do have are more or less seasonal. I was raised on LSU football and have been going to games since before I can even remember. Unforunately, the seasons are only played during the fall. That is about the only interest I share with the people around me.

Newman (snicker....I see Seinfeld muttering that name)...
What? No fishing???? You live in great area for that!
I understand wanting to stay where you are. Connections are important. What I "hear" in this last posting of yours, is a positivity you may not be noticing. You've got a plan, just may not be working on the pace you'd like it to be, but it's still there. Good job! Continue to go for it. Push the school to know exactly what you need, get your name out there, drag in as many references as you can, INCLUDING patients (okay, not the pets, but the owners!). Be a dominant force when trying to enter the program so that when your application comes across the tables, they remember you, even if it means taking a couple courses before entering the program. Usually you're allowed to take up to 9 hours before entering an official program.