Students' perceptions of clinical readiness typically derive from their educational immersion. Training occurs within a bifurcated curriculum, one that is marked by a distinction between didactic courses and clinical training in the veterinary teaching hospital. This study describes students' perceived preparedness or readiness for clinical rotations. Three focus group meetings comprised of different groups of second-year veterinary students were conducted. Students were asked to describe their comfort in talking with clients, veterinary staff, and colleagues; skills they felt prepared to explore; how they acquired necessary knowledge and skills; how their veterinary school learning experiences prepared them for applying medical information to patient care; and apprehensions about entering clinical rotations. Data were initially open-coded by each author. Pairs of authors categorized their codes and then the full team identified emerging themes. Six main themes emerged: apprehension about clinic performance, folklore about clinical experiences, learning relevancy, wanting authentic evaluation, identified skills, and learning outside the college. Identifying students' perceptions related to their preclinical educational experience offered insight into student readiness for clinical education and provided guidance for improving veterinary medical educational experiences.