The Student Room Group

Calling all 2012 VetMed entry hopefuls, *VERY* Early i know!

Scroll to see replies

Original post by dizzeedollee
hmm, does anyone here live in edinburgh by any chance? i heard something today that just made me really have doubts about going to edinburgh. my mum was talking to her friend today and according to her, one of her other friend's daughter went to edinburgh university to study economics (or something finance related) but she was forced to leave because she experienced so much racism. my question is....is edinburgh really that racist? :/ i'm oriental asian and obviously i don't like to be racially abused (i have to admit, one of the reasons i didn't apply to liverpool was because i experience a lot of racism when i went to visit....and i was only out on the streets for something like 20 minutes?). the two times that i've visited edinburgh have been wonderful experiences and no one has ever made me feel uncomfortable but i'm just wondering whether i was just lucky or something :/


What do you mean by you experienced racism in Liverpool....were people shouting things at you ? :O If so, you should have said something..not acceptable i'm sure to Liverpool
Original post by schizopear
i'd just like to point out that the undercover worker was there for 2-3 months and at no point did they go direct to the farmer about the cruelty that they witnessed. yes, animal cruelty needs to be addressed, but there are better ways to go about it. once again i don't really believe that animal activists actually have animal welfare at heart - otherwise why would they wait six months to release the footage? they just wanted it for their next controversial campaign, not to actually improve animal welfare. anyone who actually cared would have spoken to the workers' employer in the first instance.


Are you serious??!
You honestly think it would've made a blind bit of difference if the activist had simply approached the farmer??!! You have got to be kidding. What on earth do you think that would have achieved? Have you seen the footage? The kind of people we're talking about? People who kill pigs by swinging them by their legs and smashing their heads against a wall? You think these people would engage in constructive conversation? See the error of their ways and agree amicably to sacrifice their profits and improve welfare, because an animal advocate had asked them to? Please.

Undercover activists have to build up as strong a case as possible against the offenders, and this takes time. It's not a case of just whipping their phone out and starting to film whenever they spot something untoward - it takes time to integrate, build trust, and be allowed to see what *really* happens behind closed doors, let alone having to wait for opportunities to film unnoticed. I find the suggestion that they don't really care about animals offensive and a total nonsense. Why the hell do you think they mount campaigns in the first place?? They want to effect change. Not just on one farm - across the board. Which is why they can't just ask the farmer nicely to stop mistreating his/her animals please. Even if he/she did stop, what would that do for all the other animals being mistreated on other farms? Bugger all, that's what.

Unfortunately, when gathering evidence, they have to put the greater good ahead of that of the individual animal, which must be unimaginably distressing and painful, particularly since it's concern for animals that has driven them to be there in the first place. This is, however, the only way things will change. Just telling the public what goes on doesn't work - they have to see it with their own eyes before they'll think about changing their behaviour and, in doing so, force companies to change theirs.

With regard to the time delay, have you any idea how much work is involved in editing huge swathes of raw footage together - sorting through it all, making some kind of coherent piece? Also, sorting out legalities, preparing to release statements, footage etc. - particularly when you're locking horns with a company backed by an *extremely* powerful industry? It all takes time (it also takes money, which is pretty scarce at the moment). Anyway, why would a time delay = not having animal welfare at heart?? That's kind of reasoning is utterly spurious.

I have the utmost respect for these people, who have to face, and appear to support, things that go against everything they believe in, for months at a time. Thanks to them, evidence is gathered that has the potential to improve many more lives than I ever will as a vet.
Original post by Snuffleupagus
Are you serious??!
You honestly think it would've made a blind bit of difference if the activist had simply approached the farmer??!! You have got to be kidding. What on earth do you think that would have achieved? Have you seen the footage? The kind of people we're talking about? People who kill pigs by swinging them by their legs and smashing their heads against a wall? You think these people would engage in constructive conversation? See the error of their ways and agree amicably to sacrifice their profits and improve welfare, because an animal advocate had asked them to? Please.

Undercover activists have to build up as strong a case as possible against the offenders, and this takes time. It's not a case of just whipping their phone out and starting to film whenever they spot something untoward - it takes time to integrate, build trust, and be allowed to see what *really* happens behind closed doors, let alone having to wait for opportunities to film unnoticed. I find the suggestion that they don't really care about animals offensive and a total nonsense. Why the hell do you think they mount campaigns in the first place?? They want to effect change. Not just on one farm - across the board. Which is why they can't just ask the farmer nicely to stop mistreating his/her animals please. Even if he/she did stop, what would that do for all the other animals being mistreated on other farms? Bugger all, that's what.

Unfortunately, when gathering evidence, they have to put the greater good ahead of that of the individual animal, which must be unimaginably distressing and painful, particularly since it's concern for animals that has driven them to be there in the first place. This is, however, the only way things will change. Just telling the public what goes on doesn't work - they have to see it with their own eyes before they'll think about changing their behaviour and, in doing so, force companies to change theirs.

With regard to the time delay, have you any idea how much work is involved in editing huge swathes of raw footage together - sorting through it all, making some kind of coherent piece? Also, sorting out legalities, preparing to release statements, footage etc. - particularly when you're locking horns with a company backed by an *extremely* powerful industry? It all takes time (it also takes money, which is pretty scarce at the moment). Anyway, why would a time delay = not having animal welfare at heart?? That's kind of reasoning is utterly spurious.

I have the utmost respect for these people, who have to face, and appear to support, things that go against everything they believe in, for months at a time. Thanks to them, evidence is gathered that has the potential to improve many more lives than I ever will as a vet.


i still stand by my original statement, that the first port of call is to notify the farmer, who claimed to be unaware of what his employees were doing, before taking things further. i'd like to remind you that a man committed suicide as a result of their campaign. if he had been told about the actions of his employees perhaps he would have addressed the issue, we won't know because he didn't have the opportunity.

i also stand by my statement that animal activists do not have animal welfare at heart. rather than seeking to work alongside the meat industry to improve animal welfare, they attempt to convert people to veganism with their animal cruelty voyeurism. they deliberately put themselves at odds with the meat industry so that they could never collaborate amicably to improve the welfare of farm animals.

these same organisations campaign against animal testing in the UK. this does not benefit animals. testing will not stop happening but will be relocated to countries that do not have the same standards of welfare that we have here, directly increasing animal suffering as a result. anyone who cared about animal welfare would be working alongside laboratories to help improve welfare and find alternatives.

animal activists seek to be controversial, they do not seek to improve animal welfare. after all, if they actually did something to improve animal welfare, what would they have to be angsty about?
Original post by schizopear
i still stand by my original statement, that the first port of call is to notify the farmer, who claimed to be unaware of what his employees were doing, before taking things further. i'd like to remind you that a man committed suicide as a result of their campaign. if he had been told about the actions of his employees perhaps he would have addressed the issue, we won't know because he didn't have the opportunity.

i also stand by my statement that animal activists do not have animal welfare at heart. rather than seeking to work alongside the meat industry to improve animal welfare, they attempt to convert people to veganism with their animal cruelty voyeurism. they deliberately put themselves at odds with the meat industry so that they could never collaborate amicably to improve the welfare of farm animals.

these same organisations campaign against animal testing in the UK. this does not benefit animals. testing will not stop happening but will be relocated to countries that do not have the same standards of welfare that we have here, directly increasing animal suffering as a result. anyone who cared about animal welfare would be working alongside laboratories to help improve welfare and find alternatives.

animal activists seek to be controversial, they do not seek to improve animal welfare. after all, if they actually did something to improve animal welfare, what would they have to be angsty about?


No, a man committed suicide as a result of being *found out*. Are you saying cruelty should not be exposed just in case the person responsible for it panics and kills themselves? Should people not be held accountable? Should a murderer not be sent to prison just in case he's found hanged in his cell?

Animal cruelty voyeurism? What is that supposed to mean?! The things they expose HAPPEN. The general public is largely ignorant of what the meat industry involves - the fact that people are disgusted when these things are exposed and, sometimes decide to stop funding them by buying meat, or drinking milk (anyone aware of how the dairy industry works will know that it involves just as much slaughter as the meat industry), is testament to this. Do you believe that people should be kept in the dark about things that would horrify them, just so that farmers can earn their money? Plenty of animal welfare groups attempt to gain improvements in animal welfare standards on farms, but are dismissed and insulted - do you seriously think changes are made without legislation to enforce them? Surely you're not naïve enough to believe that a multimillion pound industry, in which profits come way ahead of animal welfare, would resond to polite requests to change? Campaigning and exposing harsh realities is, therefore, the only way of effecting change by raising awareness and allowing people to decide for themselves what they will and won't accept.

People ARE working hard to develop and introduce alternatives to animal testing (e.g. Dr Hadwen Trust). Of course you have idiots who do stupid things in an attempt to draw attention to the plight of laboratory animals, and end up getting everyone opposed to animal testing tarred with the same brush, but there is excellent work going on that is gradually being embraced. It's a very difficult situation - of course no-one with animal welfare at heart wants to indirectly cause an increase in suffering elsewhere, and yet for an increasing number of people it is unacceptable (not just for animal welfare reasons). Do you allow something that you find unacceptable to go ahead, just because others do? Just because companies here can import materials made by slave labour in other countries, does it mean we should allow slave labour here? Anyway, I think any intelligent person knows that the way ahead in terms of attempts to decrease, and ultimately end, the use of animals in experiments, is the development and implementation of alternatives.

Your final paragraph is pretty infantile, and is an insult to your intelligence. Either that, or you're completely ignorant of the mindblowing extent to which animals are being put through hell by human beings, in countless different ways, every single day. Being upset and disheartened by this is wrong, is it? Being moved to attempt to help is wrong, is it?
Original post by Snuffleupagus

The general public is largely ignorant of what the meat industry involves - the fact that people are disgusted when these things are exposed and, sometimes decide to stop funding them by buying meat, or drinking milk (anyone aware of how the dairy industry works will know that it involves just as much slaughter as the meat industry), is testament to this.


becoming a vegan is not the only way to express disapproval of the mistreatment of animals in the meat/dairy industry. as an ex-vegetarian, i am happy to buy meat that has been ethically produced. i was a vegetarian for over a decade but my personal experiences of the meat industry have reassured me that eating animals is acceptable - not every farm treats their animals the way animal activists would have people believe.

Do you allow something that you find unacceptable to go ahead, just because others do? Just because companies here can import materials made by slave labour in other countries, does it mean we should allow slave labour here? Anyway, I think any intelligent person knows that the way ahead in terms of attempts to decrease, and ultimately end, the use of animals in experiments, is the development and implementation of alternatives.


i think that some animal research is acceptable - at least until a suitable alternative can be found. in the meantime, i would like to think that any necessary animal testing that is to take place will take place somewhere like the UK. at the moment animal testing is a legal requirement in some situations, so we either perform a necessary evil as humanely as we can here, or we outsource it to people who don't care? and people who apparently care about animal welfare would prefer the latter??

unfortunately, it seems unlikely that we will be able to replace animal testing altogether in the near future, and finding alternatives will probably require more animal testing. this clip pretty much sums up what i don't like about people who are completely anti-animal testing (it's actually a woman from the Dr Hadwen Trust you mentioned...). the bit about herceptin (around the 2 min mark) is particularly frustrating.

Your final paragraph is pretty infantile, and is an insult to your intelligence. Either that, or you're completely ignorant of the mindblowing extent to which animals are being put through hell by human beings, in countless different ways, every single day. Being upset and disheartened by this is wrong, is it? Being moved to attempt to help is wrong, is it?


i think that people should be upset about animal cruelty and be moved to do something about it. we just have different ideas about what we should be doing to make things better, or rather how.
thank you for reassuring me about edinburgh, i definitely feel a lot better about it now :smile: and @hannah, in my experience saying something back to them only makes them even more abusive x3
2 new additions to the family :smile:
Original post by Snuffleupagus
I find the suggestion that they don't really care about animals offensive and a total nonsense. Why the hell do you think they mount campaigns in the first place?? They want to effect change. Not just on one farm - across the board. Which is why they can't just ask the farmer nicely to stop mistreating his/her animals please. Even if he/she did stop, what would that do for all the other animals being mistreated on other farms? Bugger all, that's what.


I'm sorry but reading this paragraph just made me want to jump into the conversation. Many of these people don't care about the welfare of animals and care more about shaming people. PETA for example kills 95% of the animals that it "saves." Last year they killed around 2000 animals, some of these probably where unhealthy animals but many have been found not to be.
What both people did was wrong, the people who worked for the farmer shouldn't have done it but the animal activists should have spoken to the farmer if they knew that he didn't know it was going on and then if things hadn't changed then go to the RSPCA instead of just posting things online 6 months after they happened.

It doesn't take that long to edit things they just wanted to cause a scene like most animal activists do. Animal activists sometimes make things worse for animals such as when there where mink farms in the UK, they set the mink free and they are then affecting the wildlife. Many animals that they release into the wild sometimes don't have the survival skills that are needed so often die and spread diseases. Some of them also think that all cats and dogs should be wild, as if my dogs (shih tzus) would survive in the wild, they're so stupid the first sight of a car without and they'd run into it thinking it was a toy. Most don't think about the big picture that sometimes releasing an animal into the wild is actually the worse things you can do.

I think many people have lost a lot of respect for animal activists over the year because of their behaviour if they just protested signed petitions etc then more would get done but people now just think that they're all crazy.
(edited 11 years ago)
does anyone know what the chances of getting in off the Edinburgh or Glasgow waiting lists?
Haven't posted here in a while due to exams got feedback from liverpool which really pissed me off I did crap..absolutely rubbish and if anyone could offer me any advice on what to do it be really helpful, I'm confused annoyed and feel like I really wasted my time going on work experience
Reply 8250
Original post by Imlovingmyradio
Haven't posted here in a while due to exams got feedback from liverpool which really pissed me off I did crap..absolutely rubbish and if anyone could offer me any advice on what to do it be really helpful, I'm confused annoyed and feel like I really wasted my time going on work experience


Will offer advice if I know what was the feedback in general? Liverpool make a real point of work experience being specific as to minimum time at different places!
:frown:
Reply 8251
Original post by Imlovingmyradio
Haven't posted here in a while due to exams got feedback from liverpool which really pissed me off I did crap..absolutely rubbish and if anyone could offer me any advice on what to do it be really helpful, I'm confused annoyed and feel like I really wasted my time going on work experience


Last year when I didn't get in I asked every uni I applied to for feedback and that gave me an idea of what I needed to do before application time. I already knew I had serious confidence issues so I got myself a full time job in a busy cafe so that I was forced to interact with strangers on a dialy basis - it made a massive difference and the interviewers noticed. I also made a list of all the work experience I had completed, essential w/e I still had to do, and some other interesting ones that I just fancied doing. I then made sure I got every single essential placement, even travelling to Ireland and England to get it, as I didn't want them to be able to turn around and reject me on the basis that I had missed just one vital placement. Then I spent whatever time I had left doing other placements purely for fun. One way I organised my w/e actually, was to use Edinburgh's WES form. They have a drop down list for when you're entering your placements and I just followed that. Here's the link. http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/vet/studying/uk-eu-school-leavers/work-experience/work-experience-form/work-experience-form. Good luck.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Marley13
Last year when I didn't get in I asked every uni I applied to for feedback and that gave me an idea of what I needed to do before application time. I already knew I had serious confidence issues so I got myself a full time job in a busy cafe so that I was forced to interact with strangers on a dialy basis - it made a massive difference and the interviewers noticed. I also made a list of all the work experience I had completed, essential w/e I still had to do, and some other interesting ones that I just fancied doing. I then made sure I got every single essential placement, even travelling to Ireland and England to get it, as I didn't want them to be able to turn around and reject me on the basis that I had missed just one vital placement. Then I spent whatever time I had left doing other placements purely for fun. One way I organised my w/e actually, was to use Edinburgh's WES form. They have a drop down list for when you're entering your placements and I just followed that. Here's the link. http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/vet/studying/uk-eu-school-leavers/work-experience/work-experience-form/work-experience-form. Good luck.


I got 3 interviews and failed at all, I think it was my confidence I never had great confidence :/.I'm also terrible at blowing my trumpet which I need help with. I'm gonna take your advice and use this w.e thing :smile: I had 24 weeks can add some more and perhaps get a job that gets me working closely with the public, that would definatly help me :smile:. Thank you very much, how many interviews did you get first time?
Original post by jacko111
Will offer advice if I know what was the feedback in general? Liverpool make a real point of work experience being specific as to minimum time at different places!
:frown:


I got an interview and ranked in top 500 w.e to get one, but at interview I had some weak areas etc which really knocked me because I have demonstrated my passion for the subject to many people, its just at interview I don't think they extracted that information especially at one station, I thought they attempted to get the best out of us..I got the experience of interviews but, with my families economic situation ( And I'm sure we all find ourselves in the same postion atm) I just wasted alot of money :frown: I dunno what to do ..
Reply 8254
Original post by Imlovingmyradio
I got 3 interviews and failed at all, I think it was my confidence I never had great confidence :/.I'm also terrible at blowing my trumpet which I need help with. I'm gonna take your advice and use this w.e thing :smile: I had 24 weeks can add some more and perhaps get a job that gets me working closely with the public, that would definatly help me :smile:. Thank you very much, how many interviews did you get first time?


I'm not good at talking myself up either and tbh, once I was confident enough to talk to them comfortably, they didn't seem to be interested in asking me about what phenomenal qualities I had that made me stand out. They seemed much happier just having a chat, they ended up laughing at me quite a bit because I was so relaxed (for a change) that I wasn't really thinking about what I was saying before I said it, it was like I was talking to my friends. I would definitely suggest a job where you're in close contact with customers, I'd say something like waitressing is a bit more interactive than working in a store, you can't hide out round back and you need to make conversation. First time round I only had one, at Glasgow, due to some really crappy circumstances but I still got great feedback from Bristol too. This year, due to said circumstances, I only applied to Edinburgh and Glasgow and was interviewed at both.
Reply 8255
Original post by Imlovingmyradio
I got an interview and ranked in top 500 w.e to get one, but at interview I had some weak areas etc which really knocked me because I have demonstrated my passion for the subject to many people, its just at interview I don't think they extracted that information especially at one station, I thought they attempted to get the best out of us..I got the experience of interviews but, with my families economic situation ( And I'm sure we all find ourselves in the same postion atm) I just wasted alot of money :frown: I dunno what to do ..


Was this your first application?
I had all rejections first year applying with 1 interview that I thought went well.
Second year I had 4 interviews. I think uni's quite like the gap year if you do varies work exp. The standard of applicants is extremely high so you need to give yourself the best chance. Coming from England I wouldn't apply to scottish uni's and I would def apply to RVC as they take twice as many students as anyone else, this gives you a better chance! dont give up:smile:
Reply 8256
hi
congratulations on all your offers!:smile: just wondering if any of you knew what would be needed in advanced highers for there to be any point applying for vet medicine next year? i got 3A a B and a C in my highers last year which is below the minimum but i was just wondering whither advanced highers would make up for the c(it was in maths), im taking 3 advanced highers and have done tons of work experince what does any one think?? thanks :smile:
Reply 8257
Original post by cody114
hi
congratulations on all your offers!:smile: just wondering if any of you knew what would be needed in advanced highers for there to be any point applying for vet medicine next year? i got 3A a B and a C in my highers last year which is below the minimum but i was just wondering whither advanced highers would make up for the c(it was in maths), im taking 3 advanced highers and have done tons of work experince what does any one think?? thanks :smile:


Well you'll need your minimum BB at AH at any rate but obviously the higher you can get the better. I would talk to the admissions staff as you haven't met your minimum at higher, I know from experience that Edinburgh filter through highers first and if you don't have the grades you probably won't get much further. In 5th year I got AABBC with a B in chem and the C in maths (obviously didn't get in that year). In 6th year I took bio and chem at AH, resat maths and took another higher, got AAAA. I was ill during my 5th year and my poorer grades are a consequence of that, I provided notes from all of the doctors I had seen and gave them a copy of my medical records and this was sufficient for Edinburgh and Glasgow to overlook my original maths grade and they accepted my resit as a first sitting. Because I had an A in AH chem they didn't mind that I'd only got a B in higher and I was interviewed at both this year. As I said before, I would talk to the admissions staff at both unis, Glasgow was a bit easier for me to apply to, I think it was because of how they filter applications, but Edinburgh gave me plenty of information and support and seemed to genuinely want me to be able to apply. Both spent a great deal of time on the phone with me, discussing my illness and grades and possible courses of action. I can't really help you without knowing your circumstances and why you didn't do quite as well in your highers as you may have hoped, but admissions will, so the moral of my very long post (I apologise for that) is to call them and talk about it with them. I wish you luck and hope it works out for you.
Reply 8258
Is there a facebook page for people that have accepted Edinburgh University as their firm offer. I have a conditional for 2012 entry. Would be good to get to know people before September! :smile:
Reply 8259
Original post by Loui01
Is there a facebook page for people that have accepted Edinburgh University as their firm offer. I have a conditional for 2012 entry. Would be good to get to know people before September! :smile:


Yes there is :biggrin: I have a conditional offer from Edinburgh also! So hopefully see you there in September :smile:
Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/179833652127741/

Quick Reply

Latest

Trending

Trending