[totallyme]

(Original post by RennaeGregory)
...

Don't panic If you're applying for 2013 entry you've got until December 2012 - plenty of time and all of next summer too.

[Leigh303]

(Original post by RennaeGregory)
Hi im Rennae, in year 11 too, i have finished my exams wahoo, but after reading how much work experience you guys have got already, I have like just died inside... On monday i phoned up 7 veterinary hospitals/clinics in my area to be rejected by 4 of them, the others asking me to phone back and they will defo give me a place for next year... help... this is called disaster ahhhh
So far i have booked/sorting out/done:

• 2 weeks lambing
• 1 week with exotic mammels at an animal zone by me
• 1 week at a small/large animal hospital
• 1 week large animal hospital
• 1 week at an abattoir
• 1 week at a pig farm

I know somebody who has stables and 4 horses so I was hoping to get some work experience with her... Its seems that all the vets are already booked up and they almost seem asthough they dont want to give out work experience to year 11 students... I have been offered a lot of WE during school time and my mom and the school will not allow me to take time off... when do we need to get all our work experience done by???
Thanks

hiya! we have to apply in October of year 13 so ideally its best to have work experience done by then, although if you have some booked that will have been done by interview they may count it (you will probably be interrogated at interview!)

oh and that list of work experience is really good and varied and more than me i think so shush

I wish we could take time off school for work experience when its so vital for our course application!!

[kookabura]

(Original post by Amy7)
LA Vets rejected me I have to be 18, which is a pain... And even more so because on the phone they said it was all fine, I just had to send in an email and then bam, 2 weeks later they reply to my email and it's a no. Sigh. Ahh well, off I go to phone the next person on my placement list!

Oh the social reject I'm becoming by filling up all my holidays with work experience, but it will all be worth it in the end, eh!
And must go book my lambing too, I can't wait

On the whole 5th choice thing, courses like biovet and others such as biomed, biochem and biology, can give you an offer even with a vet based personal statement, but some require you to email them a little extra personal statement in addition to your main vet based one.
The only reason I'm considering having a 5th choice rather than just a blank is because of the possibility of doing a post-grad course or transferring, or say, if the economic climate change and for various reason I couldn't take a gap year, I'd just like to have the choice to go to uni that year if I want to, even if it is to study something else... :/

There is totally and uterally 0% chance of transferring from a related degree to vet med courses. So don't take accept a place on a "back up course" hoping for this. It just will not happen. The uni's take the number of people who they have places for on the course, and it is so competitive that they will fill the course. Yes, a few people*may* drop out etc during the year, but that is expected, so they don't need to allow anyone to transfer in. Also, you start vetty things straight away, and no other course would provide enough knowledge to transfer into this.

Also, be aware of the huge potential problems of doing vet med as a second degree - fees of circa £20k per year, and at the two unis that charge normal under grads fees, ridiculous competition for grads!

I'm not saying don't put down a 5th choice, or consider other options, like you say, it gives you another option to think about. Just saying becareful of the reasons you are thinking about!

[BeHappy]

Thank you for replying, it cleared a few things up, you're a star!
Don't think I'd have the patience/money to do it post-grad anyway, but I guess if fees etc changed for some radical reason, it's an option.

[RennaeGregory]

(Original post by totallyme)
Don't panic If you're applying for 2013 entry you've got until December 2012 - plenty of time and all of next summer too.

How much work experience do we need to get by october 2012...??
I wish we could take time off school when we dont have much work my elder sister said there are point when we dont have much time learning but we are revising for the sciences... arww it totally sucks... LOOL
What have you done

[LilacTweet]

(Original post by RennaeGregory)
How much work experience do we need to get by october 2012...??
I wish we could take time off school when we dont have much work my elder sister said there are point when we dont have much time learning but we are revising for the sciences... arww it totally sucks... LOOL
What have you done

As much as you're prepared to do

I would try and get at least liverpool's minimum (of 10 weeks) .... remember that lots of people will have much more than this too though!
The more the better!

[totallyme]

(Original post by RennaeGregory)
How much work experience do we need to get by october 2012...??
I wish we could take time off school when we dont have much work my elder sister said there are point when we dont have much time learning but we are revising for the sciences... arww it totally sucks... LOOL
What have you done

Are you applying for 2013 entry? If so, a lot of people (like LilacTweet said) will have over 10 weeks as that's Liverpool's minimum and they ask for the most. You can definitely squeeze a lot of work experience in when you're at school (weekends, evenings and holidays) if you're tough on your time management Most of my work experience is on my about me on here. I think I'll have about 20+ weeks hopefully....but I'm a re-app

[Lizziewizz]

(Original post by Leigh303)
ahh cool how long for? after going lambing in march one of the farmer's sons is now my boyfriend so im sorted!

Im going for a week Went there for a few days this year so i know the farmer doesn't have a son but i can hope one of the farmers on the neighbouring farms does :P
Learnt how to hold a vein up at the vets today. Think it just made my week

[BeHappy]

(Original post by Lizziewizz)
Learnt how to hold a vein up at the vets today. Think it just made my week

That's exciting! My work experience highlight has definitely been monitoring anaesthetic, I felt so responsible! Aswell as injecting a cat, albeit a sedated one

[Leigh303]

(Original post by Amy7)
That's exciting! My work experience highlight has definitely been monitoring anaesthetic, I felt so responsible! Aswell as injecting a cat, albeit a sedated one

personally I love love love LOVE lambing!!

[Lizziewizz]

(Original post by Leigh303)
personally I love love love LOVE lambing!!

I cant wait until I go lambing next year Hoping the weather doesnt cause most the ewes to lamb early again like it did this year, even though i still had a great time the days i went lambing this year

[Leigh303]

(Original post by Lizziewizz)
I cant wait until I go lambing next year Hoping the weather doesnt cause most the ewes to lamb early again like it did this year, even though i still had a great time the days i went lambing this year

100% my favourite placement! samee :/ whereabouts in the country are you from, just out of interest?

[Lizziewizz]

(Original post by Leigh303)
100% my favourite placement! samee :/ whereabouts in the country are you from, just out of interest?

I'm from West Sussex. Where abouts are you from?

[alizasauras]

Helloooo I am Aliza and so far I have:
6 months saturday at a city farm
2 years sunday at a cattery
1 week at a vet practice (soon to be every monday eve)

Soon to be saturday work at a riding stables for the disabled

[Mary.x]

It's scary how fast the time seems to be going - I bet 18 months is going to fly by!

So far I have:
2 weeks small animal vets
1 week kennels/cattery but now work there 2/3 days a week.
2 weeks yard work, but also work for people on the yard seperately.

Booked:
1 week farm
1 week equine vets
1 week small animal

just need to get round to organising some more!

[Leigh303]

(Original post by Lizziewizz)
I'm from West Sussex. Where abouts are you from?

west wiltshire not far from bristol, which is where i want to go!

[BeHappy]

What A-levels are you all taking, aside from biology and chemistry?

[Lizziewizz]

(Original post by Leigh303)
west wiltshire not far from bristol, which is where i want to go!

Thats handy. Did you go to Vetquest this year?

(Original post by Amy7)
What A-levels are you all taking, aside from biology and chemistry?

Im planning on taking biology, chemistry, physics and maths. Was planning on taking environmental studies too but gcse geography put me off that.
What are you taking?

[katieza]

ANYONE:-
1)When you say 'week' is it a full 7 days 9-5 job or a few days within that week?
2)Also, when do you people find the time for say '3/4 weeks worth of a work placement'?
3) Is it better to have a few days at each placement but have a wide variety or is it better to have the few essential placements but over a few years/several months?
Thanks
Katie

[totallyme]

(Original post by katieza)
...

Hi

1) A week differs for each university I think, best to check with them. Someone posted recently Nottingham's "week" is 35 hours (eg 5 days a week, 9am-4pm) as an example. Some ask for amount of hours on their work experience form so I'd say it's best to count the hours you are doing, add them up and then work it out for each individual university that asks your for it in "weeks/days" whilst still being able to give it in hours obviously. They also ask you for the dates these hours were done over so they can get an idea of how long you spent there etc

2) Not sure what you mean by this question. If you mean finding the time whilst at school/work etc well sometimes it can be done in the holidays or done over an extended period of time. For example, I spent over 40hours at a placement but this was done over more than a month whilst going to school and revising for exams that took place at the end of the placement. Just had to fit it in during times I wasn't revising, at school or in the exam hall

3) A simple way of answering this question would be: yes to all! Variety is excellent, shows that you've looked into a lot of different areas and have probably covered each placement they want you to have seen. Essentials are great too....they are of course essential and should make up the bulk of your work experience. Over a few days or long term depends on the availability or the type of work experience really....universities like to see commitment but equally I would say would prefer long term commitment to one of the essentials rather than the extras.

Hope this helps