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DON'T GIVE UP. Firstly, did you get any interviews/did you apply after AS level? - i couldn't see it anywhere but i might have missed it - if you didn't can i ask why? You certainly have enough work experience, definately more than i had anyway and your grades while not "Good enough" are not shocking, I got AAC in the same subjects with a C in Chemistry (3 ums off a B and i'm still bitter to this day) and my offer was AAB - i had a good interview which helped. If you haven't had your papers remarked definately do that, its expensive but it could make all the difference. I'd avoid going in as a Post Grad at all costs, it is A LOT of money ~ £20,000 a year if you have to pay full fees and still ~£3,290+ for another 5 years if you get into one that isn't full fees (on top of your 3 year degree before that). If you are as commited to being a vet as you seem, i'd strongly consider resitting some A levels/doing the new A levels from scratch at college or a sixth form or college nearby if there is one. If a gap year is the route you take, get some good quality work experience on it, you have to show that the year out has helped you become a stronger applicant and you haven't wasted the time. I'd suggest ringing the addmissions tutors and asking them what they would recommend.
Yeah I did apply last year and had three rejections and one interview. However when I rang them all up again, I found out that they will not consider my grades when I had AAB. I wondered whether that's true or not. I wonder whether it is so competitive that the admissions tutors have to look at the grades first but if they are like CCC then put it on the rejection pile, but I am only one grade off. Whether I'm just so close they will possibly look at my application, because I'd like my reference to mention I am a total of 14 marks off AAA, I was just unlucky in exams and my personal statement includes a good chunk of work experience and specifically what I have learnt from it. I had already finished bio and chem in 2009, so I had spent last year trying to resit those exams with no success in January. Those were my last possible resits and that's why my courses are too old. I think it may be a bit late now to get them remarked.
The unis I applied to were RVC, Bristol, Nottingham and Liverpool. I had an interview with Liverpool. But they rejected me on the grounds I didn't get as many points as other applicants (but I was the very very very last set of interviewees so I assumed with 99% of the offers already made by then I needed full marks to get in really). I didn't ring up for feedback, but I've been told it's never too late for that. RVC rejected me because I was 6 marks under the cut off point for the BMAT, and Nottingham said it's too competitive and I didn't made the grade whilst Bristol stood its ground and said, "We do not give feedback". What a moo :P
I don't really want to go in as Post Grad. But I am wavering between applying for uni now for just Veterinary BioSciences at the university of Surrey alone or still applying to the bunch of them. I'd love to go to Surrey, the course is interesting, the university is amazing (much better than any of the vet schools in my opinion - I wish they did vet med
Lol ), job prospects are amazingly high, and it's closer to home than any of the other vet schools. So I think, why wouldn't I want to do this? It seems the perfect course because it's minimum requirements are ABB. (I did get an offer from them last year which I turned down. But they'll still consider me). Even my parents and boyfriend think it is a better option than vet med. Yet still, I have a voice at the back of my head telling me it's something I don't want to do. That I'll never be happy because it's accepting second best.
Another worry is that I have a job interview coming up, and I think if I get the job it'll be a full-time commitment. Work experience will be even more difficult than it was when I was at school. But I guess I could use all my freetime for it. Besides, if I love it all that much I would rather be on my feet 24/7 than using my weekends to rest. However, I may not get the job, so it'll be okay.
Ha ha, you would not believe the trauma I have had over the last week ringing up something like 15 different colleges in Kent and London searching for a place that will let me retake my A levels. The only one that gave me the opportunity was one I missed reading was an independent college. £6k a term - what?!?! But the lady on the phone was so lovely :P I wish I had the money. I am still waiting to hear from one college to do the BTEC in animal management from. Lol I e-mailed her asking if there are any places, and she said she had to know my age before she could tell me, then she said I needed to send an application before she'd tell me, and now she still won't tell me. I know she's received the damn thing because I sent it yesterday morning by first class post! Grr.
Sorry, essay over.
The unis I applied to were RVC, Bristol, Nottingham and Liverpool. I had an interview with Liverpool. But they rejected me on the grounds I didn't get as many points as other applicants (but I was the very very very last set of interviewees so I assumed with 99% of the offers already made by then I needed full marks to get in really). I didn't ring up for feedback, but I've been told it's never too late for that. RVC rejected me because I was 6 marks under the cut off point for the BMAT, and Nottingham said it's too competitive and I didn't made the grade whilst Bristol stood its ground and said, "We do not give feedback". What a moo :P
I don't really want to go in as Post Grad. But I am wavering between applying for uni now for just Veterinary BioSciences at the university of Surrey alone or still applying to the bunch of them. I'd love to go to Surrey, the course is interesting, the university is amazing (much better than any of the vet schools in my opinion - I wish they did vet med
Lol ), job prospects are amazingly high, and it's closer to home than any of the other vet schools. So I think, why wouldn't I want to do this? It seems the perfect course because it's minimum requirements are ABB. (I did get an offer from them last year which I turned down. But they'll still consider me). Even my parents and boyfriend think it is a better option than vet med. Yet still, I have a voice at the back of my head telling me it's something I don't want to do. That I'll never be happy because it's accepting second best.Another worry is that I have a job interview coming up, and I think if I get the job it'll be a full-time commitment. Work experience will be even more difficult than it was when I was at school. But I guess I could use all my freetime for it. Besides, if I love it all that much I would rather be on my feet 24/7 than using my weekends to rest. However, I may not get the job, so it'll be okay.
Ha ha, you would not believe the trauma I have had over the last week ringing up something like 15 different colleges in Kent and London searching for a place that will let me retake my A levels. The only one that gave me the opportunity was one I missed reading was an independent college. £6k a term - what?!?! But the lady on the phone was so lovely :P I wish I had the money. I am still waiting to hear from one college to do the BTEC in animal management from. Lol I e-mailed her asking if there are any places, and she said she had to know my age before she could tell me, then she said I needed to send an application before she'd tell me, and now she still won't tell me. I know she's received the damn thing because I sent it yesterday morning by first class post! Grr.
Sorry, essay over.
I actually have more grades than what I have previously mentioned, I have ABBBaM - B in Philosophy and Ethics, A in AS Physics and Merit in AQA Bacc. Lol.
MaverickVet
DON'T GIVE UP. Firstly, did you get any interviews/did you apply after AS level? - i couldn't see it anywhere but i might have missed it - if you didn't can i ask why? You certainly have enough work experience, definitely more than i had anyway and your grades while not "Good enough" are not shocking, I got AAC in the same subjects with a C in Chemistry (3 ums off a B and i'm still bitter to this day) and my offer was AAB - i had a good interview which helped. If you haven't had your papers remarked definitely do that, its expensive but it could make all the difference. I'd avoid going in as a Post Grad at all costs, it is A LOT of money ~ £20,000 a year if you have to pay full fees and still ~£3,290+ for another 5 years if you get into one that isn't full fees (on top of your 3 year degree before that). If you are as commited to being a vet as you seem, i'd strongly consider resitting some A levels/doing the new A levels from scratch at college or a sixth form or college nearby if there is one. If a gap year is the route you take, get some good quality work experience on it, you have to show that the year out has helped you become a stronger applicant and you haven't wasted the time. I'd suggest ringing the addmissions tutors and asking them what they would recommend.
Lol, I forgot to quote you in response previously. You've been the most positive and helpful to me
The universities don't mind me resitting my A levels, but it's too late to do this year unfortunately, I could do it next year but have to pay tuition fees because I'll be 19 then. Or I could take up the National Extended Diploma in Animal Management and try to get a Distinction in it all - recommended by RVC. Or National Diploma in Applied Science. The animal management is what I still need to hear back from one of the colleges I've applied to - as mentioned in previous post.Thanks for the optimism. I really appreciate it.
Jazzydadog
I don't really want to go in as Post Grad. But I am wavering between applying for uni now for just Veterinary BioSciences at the university of Surrey alone or still applying to the bunch of them. I'd love to go to Surrey, the course is interesting, the university is amazing (much better than any of the vet schools in my opinion - I wish they did vet med Lol ), job prospects are amazingly high, and it's closer to home than any of the other vet schools. So I think, why wouldn't I want to do this? It seems the perfect course because it's minimum requirements are ABB. (I did get an offer from them last year which I turned down. But they'll still consider me). Even my parents and boyfriend think it is a better option than vet med. Yet still, I have a voice at the back of my head telling me it's something I don't want to do. That I'll never be happy because it's accepting second best.
I don't really want to go in as Post Grad. But I am wavering between applying for uni now for just Veterinary BioSciences at the university of Surrey alone or still applying to the bunch of them. I'd love to go to Surrey, the course is interesting, the university is amazing (much better than any of the vet schools in my opinion - I wish they did vet med
Lol ), job prospects are amazingly high, and it's closer to home than any of the other vet schools. So I think, why wouldn't I want to do this? It seems the perfect course because it's minimum requirements are ABB. (I did get an offer from them last year which I turned down. But they'll still consider me). Even my parents and boyfriend think it is a better option than vet med. Yet still, I have a voice at the back of my head telling me it's something I don't want to do. That I'll never be happy because it's accepting second best.Hi
Although I still think your best option would be to retake, it does seem like you are really keen on this course so I thought I would tell you how I got into VetMed....
First of all, I am lurking on this forum as a mature student! I am 34, married and have 2 kids......and I am about to start my 4th year of VetMed. I was the same as you when I was 18, loads of work experience and enthusiasm but grades not up to scratch (mine were worse!) - I applied for VetMed and Animal Science, no real hope with VetMed but I thought I should try. Ended up getting a place at Nottingham to read Animal Science (with European Studies = ERasmus in Germany, turned out to be a very important part!). There was no talk of resitting, I was just happy to get a place at uni! Anyway, I went to Sutton Bonington, loved the place, loved the course, made friends for life and had a generally brilliant time. I know some people on here say that their first degree (prior to VetMed) was a waste of time, or they hated it because it wasn't VetMed etc but I was really happy there, even though I never gave up on the vet idea really. After graduation I got a job teaching at the uni of agricultural sciences here in Vienna - wouldn't have had the chance to move to Austria if I hadn't taken the Ani Science course
After 3 years at the uni, I got a job with an American pharmaceutical company in R&D - interesting medical stuff but not veterinary. I never gave up on my dream and in 2007 - once I had been living in Vienna for 8 years and thought my German was good enough 
I applied for a place to study VetMed here and got in 
FINALLY! I was 31 when I started!Anyway, the point to this essay is that as the previous poster said, you should never give up! Of course postgrad entry is not ideal for VetMed (as others have said it's expensive and competitive) but if you think you'll really enjoy this other course and more importantly you could enjoy the jobs you'd be able to do afterwards.....(but not be a vet) then I think you should go for it. I have had an interesting and varied career so far, but thinking about my future I always came back to the vet idea and now I'm finally making it a reality
Oh, and remember you are not alone in not getting a place at vet school. I would imagine everybody on the Surrey course tried to get on a vet med course and "failed"
At Nottingham, Animal Science students were known as "failed vets" by the Agric students - we learnt to live with it
No matter what you decide - good luck
Oh and just a thought - I have no personal experience of it but have you considered Kosice in Slovakia, it seems to have quite a following on here!
Hey thanks for the extra information. Its just an idea but would your college or somewhere else let you just sit the exams there and you could study for them in your own time or hire a tutor? Just an idea.
Anyway, as the previous poster is testament to, there are many routes on to the vet course. In my year there are several mature students, one is doing the vet course as a 1st degree after working as an accountant for 8 years and studying for her exams in her spare time and getting work experience in her holidays. For many others this is there second degree, some of them even did english degrees before coming back to veterinary science, but many did biovet, equine science etc etc.
If you think you can finance the course going in as a post grad, and you can handle the whole "failed vet" thing, (I've noticed that it tends not to be the vet students who say things thing like that, probably as they're just glad not to be in that position, as it is very easy to end up there) and you can wait 3 years to start the course you want to do, then go for it. As the previous poster said, you will have a good time and learn lots of interesting things, a lot of the post grads get exepted from certain units in 1st year and often do better in exams in 1st year as they already have some of the knowledge. A lot of people in my year were rejected first time round but took a gap year, improved their work experience and applied again and got in, although i noticed you already had a lot of work experience. The Animal Management Diploma is a good idea and worth considering. The most important things to do when you reapply, is to show how commited you are to the course and the job at the end of it and that you haven't been wasting your time waiting to reapply, that you've learnt new things and become a better applicant.
I hope some of this helps and i don't envy the choices you have to make, but if its what you truly want to do, i'm sure you will find a way to do it.
Anyway, as the previous poster is testament to, there are many routes on to the vet course. In my year there are several mature students, one is doing the vet course as a 1st degree after working as an accountant for 8 years and studying for her exams in her spare time and getting work experience in her holidays. For many others this is there second degree, some of them even did english degrees before coming back to veterinary science, but many did biovet, equine science etc etc.
If you think you can finance the course going in as a post grad, and you can handle the whole "failed vet" thing, (I've noticed that it tends not to be the vet students who say things thing like that, probably as they're just glad not to be in that position, as it is very easy to end up there) and you can wait 3 years to start the course you want to do, then go for it. As the previous poster said, you will have a good time and learn lots of interesting things, a lot of the post grads get exepted from certain units in 1st year and often do better in exams in 1st year as they already have some of the knowledge. A lot of people in my year were rejected first time round but took a gap year, improved their work experience and applied again and got in, although i noticed you already had a lot of work experience. The Animal Management Diploma is a good idea and worth considering. The most important things to do when you reapply, is to show how commited you are to the course and the job at the end of it and that you haven't been wasting your time waiting to reapply, that you've learnt new things and become a better applicant.
I hope some of this helps and i don't envy the choices you have to make, but if its what you truly want to do, i'm sure you will find a way to do it.
clair0511
Hi
Although I still think your best option would be to retake, it does seem like you are really keen on this course so I thought I would tell you how I got into VetMed....
First of all, I am lurking on this forum as a mature student! I am 34, married and have 2 kids......and I am about to start my 4th year of VetMed. I was the same as you when I was 18, loads of work experience and enthusiasm but grades not up to scratch (mine were worse!) - I applied for VetMed and Animal Science, no real hope with VetMed but I thought I should try. Ended up getting a place at Nottingham to read Animal Science (with European Studies = ERasmus in Germany, turned out to be a very important part!). There was no talk of resitting, I was just happy to get a place at uni! Anyway, I went to Sutton Bonington, loved the place, loved the course, made friends for life and had a generally brilliant time. I know some people on here say that their first degree (prior to VetMed) was a waste of time, or they hated it because it wasn't VetMed etc but I was really happy there, even though I never gave up on the vet idea really. After graduation I got a job teaching at the uni of agricultural sciences here in Vienna - wouldn't have had the chance to move to Austria if I hadn't taken the Ani Science course After 3 years at the uni, I got a job with an American pharmaceutical company in R&D - interesting medical stuff but not veterinary. I never gave up on my dream and in 2007 - once I had been living in Vienna for 8 years and thought my German was good enough I applied for a place to study VetMed here and got in FINALLY! I was 31 when I started!
Anyway, the point to this essay is that as the previous poster said, you should never give up! Of course postgrad entry is not ideal for VetMed (as others have said it's expensive and competitive) but if you think you'll really enjoy this other course and more importantly you could enjoy the jobs you'd be able to do afterwards.....(but not be a vet) then I think you should go for it. I have had an interesting and varied career so far, but thinking about my future I always came back to the vet idea and now I'm finally making it a reality
Oh, and remember you are not alone in not getting a place at vet school. I would imagine everybody on the Surrey course tried to get on a vet med course and "failed"
At Nottingham, Animal Science students were known as "failed vets" by the Agric students - we learnt to live with it
No matter what you decide - good luck
Oh and just a thought - I have no personal experience of it but have you considered Kosice in Slovakia, it seems to have quite a following on here!
Although I still think your best option would be to retake, it does seem like you are really keen on this course so I thought I would tell you how I got into VetMed....
First of all, I am lurking on this forum as a mature student! I am 34, married and have 2 kids......and I am about to start my 4th year of VetMed. I was the same as you when I was 18, loads of work experience and enthusiasm but grades not up to scratch (mine were worse!) - I applied for VetMed and Animal Science, no real hope with VetMed but I thought I should try. Ended up getting a place at Nottingham to read Animal Science (with European Studies = ERasmus in Germany, turned out to be a very important part!). There was no talk of resitting, I was just happy to get a place at uni! Anyway, I went to Sutton Bonington, loved the place, loved the course, made friends for life and had a generally brilliant time. I know some people on here say that their first degree (prior to VetMed) was a waste of time, or they hated it because it wasn't VetMed etc but I was really happy there, even though I never gave up on the vet idea really. After graduation I got a job teaching at the uni of agricultural sciences here in Vienna - wouldn't have had the chance to move to Austria if I hadn't taken the Ani Science course
After 3 years at the uni, I got a job with an American pharmaceutical company in R&D - interesting medical stuff but not veterinary. I never gave up on my dream and in 2007 - once I had been living in Vienna for 8 years and thought my German was good enough I applied for a place to study VetMed here and got in FINALLY! I was 31 when I started!Anyway, the point to this essay is that as the previous poster said, you should never give up! Of course postgrad entry is not ideal for VetMed (as others have said it's expensive and competitive) but if you think you'll really enjoy this other course and more importantly you could enjoy the jobs you'd be able to do afterwards.....(but not be a vet) then I think you should go for it. I have had an interesting and varied career so far, but thinking about my future I always came back to the vet idea and now I'm finally making it a reality
Oh, and remember you are not alone in not getting a place at vet school. I would imagine everybody on the Surrey course tried to get on a vet med course and "failed"
At Nottingham, Animal Science students were known as "failed vets" by the Agric students - we learnt to live with it
No matter what you decide - good luck
Oh and just a thought - I have no personal experience of it but have you considered Kosice in Slovakia, it seems to have quite a following on here!
Thank you very much, you have really inspired me. Both of you have made me feel really confident and more relaxed about this. There are no words to express how gratified and relieved I feel. I think I have gotten myself worked up over the last few weeks, it's nice to think that life isn't too short to be able to live your dream. I hope to follow somewhat in your footsteps. I've considered studying abroad before - but Poland rather than Slovakia because that is where my family are from.
Thank you again
MaverickVet
Hey thanks for the extra information. Its just an idea but would your college or somewhere else let you just sit the exams there and you could study for them in your own time or hire a tutor? Just an idea.
Anyway, as the previous poster is testament to, there are many routes on to the vet course. In my year there are several mature students, one is doing the vet course as a 1st degree after working as an accountant for 8 years and studying for her exams in her spare time and getting work experience in her holidays. For many others this is there second degree, some of them even did english degrees before coming back to veterinary science, but many did biovet, equine science etc etc.
If you think you can finance the course going in as a post grad, and you can handle the whole "failed vet" thing, (I've noticed that it tends not to be the vet students who say things thing like that, probably as they're just glad not to be in that position, as it is very easy to end up there) and you can wait 3 years to start the course you want to do, then go for it. As the previous poster said, you will have a good time and learn lots of interesting things, a lot of the post grads get exepted from certain units in 1st year and often do better in exams in 1st year as they already have some of the knowledge. A lot of people in my year were rejected first time round but took a gap year, improved their work experience and applied again and got in, although i noticed you already had a lot of work experience. The Animal Management Diploma is a good idea and worth considering. The most important things to do when you reapply, is to show how commited you are to the course and the job at the end of it and that you haven't been wasting your time waiting to reapply, that you've learnt new things and become a better applicant.
I hope some of this helps and i don't envy the choices you have to make, but if its what you truly want to do, i'm sure you will find a way to do it.
Anyway, as the previous poster is testament to, there are many routes on to the vet course. In my year there are several mature students, one is doing the vet course as a 1st degree after working as an accountant for 8 years and studying for her exams in her spare time and getting work experience in her holidays. For many others this is there second degree, some of them even did english degrees before coming back to veterinary science, but many did biovet, equine science etc etc.
If you think you can finance the course going in as a post grad, and you can handle the whole "failed vet" thing, (I've noticed that it tends not to be the vet students who say things thing like that, probably as they're just glad not to be in that position, as it is very easy to end up there) and you can wait 3 years to start the course you want to do, then go for it. As the previous poster said, you will have a good time and learn lots of interesting things, a lot of the post grads get exepted from certain units in 1st year and often do better in exams in 1st year as they already have some of the knowledge. A lot of people in my year were rejected first time round but took a gap year, improved their work experience and applied again and got in, although i noticed you already had a lot of work experience. The Animal Management Diploma is a good idea and worth considering. The most important things to do when you reapply, is to show how commited you are to the course and the job at the end of it and that you haven't been wasting your time waiting to reapply, that you've learnt new things and become a better applicant.
I hope some of this helps and i don't envy the choices you have to make, but if its what you truly want to do, i'm sure you will find a way to do it.
Again, thank you so much. If I could send you chocolates and flowers I would.
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