Hi
I have 3 offers from RVC, Bristol and Nottingham.
Bristol- is a very nice University and absolutely massive investment has taken place in the Vet school and it's reputation is recovering after it had lost a bit of it after a time of low investment. I was very impressed by the new Langford buildings. It's course is weighted quite academically compared to practical. (It is my reserve choice
)
RVC- is recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association and is a very good place to go aswell as a host of other associations
http://www.rvc.ac.uk/Undergraduate/Index.cfm My main problem with RVC is that the first it is smack bang in the middle of Camden for the first couple years, with only a couple of animals to see as Kookabura has already said (and knows a lot more about the course than I do!!) It just didn't feel right for me when I went around the Camden campus on interview
Accommodation was jaw droppingly expensive and having a cousin go to UCL they told me that living costs are fairly savage as well. The Hawshead campus is very nice however (I say very I mean mega!
)
I honestly can't tell you much about Liverpool as I got a straight rejection from them. I liked the city and liked the campus at Leahurst but there are people on TSR who know a lot more about it than me!
With regards to Nottingham. Quite simply I was blown away at interview by it, it's a brand new campus with buildings popping up everywhere, the facilites are incredible, there really is nothing less (there might be even more than) other universities with regards to farms etc, there's a pig unit, a dairy herd, a poultry farm (the list does go on
) There's a brand new gym complex and there's even a micro-brewery on site!!!
(brewing scientist and bio-scientists are also on the Sutton Bonnington campus.) It is the only single campus vet school (in England I can't comment at all on the Scottish vet schools), meaning that for all 5 years, you will be in the same place, it gives Nottingham a very friendly atmosphere.
There isn't a University second opinion practice at Nottingham as for EMS they want their students to see the cases that they are likely to come across in practice, rather than seeing the very rare cases that come through a second opinion practice such as what is found at normal university.
The course is integrated and from day one you will deal with animals (and at interview for that matter, I'm not allowed to tell you what happened at mine, but animals were involved to a degree
) Having an integrated practical course means that you learn the theory and then see that theory in practice at the same time. It is to ensure that you can apply your knowledge to real life cases, it's more difficult than you's think!! It is ground braking and is just
(so good)
To be perfectly honest whatever vet school you apply to, you will be a very good vet and will have very good employment opportunities
Any questions regarding anything I've said don't hesitate to ask