James Tyndall: Leading the pre-vet way

I don’t necessarily want to be nationally recognized on the cover of Forbes magazine. But I do want to help find the cure for cancer -– find a medical device that helps wounded veterans better cope with their lives and improve their lives. You can do that through veterinary medicine, and that’s something that a lot of people don’t recognize.

My name is James Tyndall. I’m a senior in animal science, and I plan on attending the vet school at N.C. State. Becoming a vet is definitely my ultimate goal. There are so many different pathways you can do, especially once you get to vet school -– pathology, toxicology. You can work in a clinic, start your own clinic –- there are just thousands of different directions that you can go.

I enjoy challenges in my life. I wouldn’t have even undertaken this job as the national president of the American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association if I didn’t want a challenge and better those around me. What we try to do is connect undergraduates from around the country at different universities and make sure that they have an understanding of the veterinary field. Getting students connected with each other around the country as far as research, as far as what worked and what didn’t work for getting into vet school — what’s a good internship to have, what’s a good experience to have, that kind of stuff.

A lot of people find it interesting that I am a married undergraduate student, and I have a beautiful seven month old daughter at home.

One thing that I’d kind of like to push people (to consider) is, If you work hard at the end of the day, everything will pay off.

Is it the easiest thing being an undergraduate student who works 30 hours a week, trying to maintain a very good GPA to apply for vet school? No that’s not the easiest thing in the world. But if something comes your way – be it a hard test or be it just a bad day with your boyfriend or girlfriend — you know, you can work through that. There are ways around it.

People in CALS and the professors, particularly in animal science, are there to support you not only as an undergraduate student but as a person. You can be an undergraduate student, and be a good father, and succeed professionally, and do all kinds of things — if you work hard. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.