In the far reaches of Cornell’s campus lies the College of Veterinary Medicine, affectionately referred to as the vet school by the 500 or so undergraduates in the Animal Science major.
The diverse major, which includes fields like animal breeding and genetics, nutrition, physiology, and animal management, is composed of a close-knit group of undergraduates who trek to the vet school everyday to study animals large and small. The students bond over both shared classes and a shared love for animals.
“It’s fun being an animal science major because it is almost like high school ... it is a pretty small select group and you recognize the same ‘animal science’ people in most of your classes. You see familiar faces traveling down Tower Road to the vet school all the time and it’s kind of cool,” said Megan Williams ’10.
To complete the major, the undergraduates must take several credit hours of basic introductory animal science, animal production and advanced animal science. All this is to prepare the students for graduate training, research careers in specialized fields, or careers in any manner of fields, such as veterinary medicine or animal production.
Whichever route the students choose to pursue, the extensive hands-on training, world-renowned teaching and the undergraduates’ passion for their work ensures that they are prepared for any field they enter.
“A lot of people think animal science people are weird ... which may or may not be true,” joked Williams. “But we all love animals to no end, so we all connect on that level.”