Veterinary Medicine 2013 hopefuls! (again, early...)
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Original post by ILurfSmurf
Original post by ILurfSmurf
dont make me hit you!
and you know you're not going to give up as i wont let you
its funny looking back as i remember stressing about work experience so much when i was at your stages, but once you've gone through it all you realise that work experience only plays a small part, i know its hard not to obsess as obviously its way too early for interview prep etc, but seriously - you ALL need to chill out, about your grades and your work experience, just to prove a point i'm going to write out how my app looked and you'll realise that its about so much more than work exp and grades
My grades, weren't great. Average GCSE's for a vet app (A*A*A*AAABBBBB) and my AS's left a lot to be desired, i've resat the one i dropped to get it up to a B, but at the time of application i had ABCC in my AS's, with a few D's as module grades, and an E (i really dislike statistics )
Work experience I had
1 week in a joint kennels/cattery
2 weeks dairy farm
3 days beef farm
1 week lambing
3 weeks small animal vet
2 weeks and 3 days equine vet
18 months working at a dealers yard at weekends/holidays (but could only count 12 of this on liverpool form)
1 week llama farm
1 week wildlife centre
I saw only routine lambings, and 2 calfs born (on my last day!) I've never stepped foot on a pig or poultry farm, or in a lab or abbatoir, never saw any farm animal vet work, but i made the most of what i could see (make useful contacts, you'll be glad of having stress free contacts found for EMS )and got decent references off all of them. These were then sent to nottingham, and the ones asked for by liverpool were taken to interview.
Edinburgh rejected me straight out, Bristol put me on hold then rejected me in february, Nottingham and Liverpool both interviewed me... Liverpool emailed me within 11 days (you normally have to wait like 2 months until end of march unless you're seen as 'exceptional' (the rate you on each station, so if you do well at all you get an offer early, or bad at all your get rejected early, everyone else gets pooled and ranked) and nottingham phoned me 4 days after my interview to offer me a place! I'm certainly not near the top of the pile in terms of work exp or grades, however if you can go to interview and come across as genuine, enthusiastic and lively and confident then you stand as good a chance as any.
I'm proof that you dont have to be AMAZING on paper to get an offer, just good enough to get a chance to show off your personality.
Ultimately, you've all got AGES ahead of you, to rectify grades, gain experience etc. The fact you're doing so much already is fab, but dont let your grades suffer as a result. A levels are a huge jump up from GCSE, and require lots of work - be aware of keeping the balance between schoolwork and work experience, as you want the best grades you can get
and you know you're not going to give up as i wont let you
its funny looking back as i remember stressing about work experience so much when i was at your stages, but once you've gone through it all you realise that work experience only plays a small part, i know its hard not to obsess as obviously its way too early for interview prep etc, but seriously - you ALL need to chill out, about your grades and your work experience, just to prove a point i'm going to write out how my app looked and you'll realise that its about so much more than work exp and grades
My grades, weren't great. Average GCSE's for a vet app (A*A*A*AAABBBBB) and my AS's left a lot to be desired, i've resat the one i dropped to get it up to a B, but at the time of application i had ABCC in my AS's, with a few D's as module grades, and an E (i really dislike statistics
)Work experience I had
1 week in a joint kennels/cattery
2 weeks dairy farm
3 days beef farm
1 week lambing
3 weeks small animal vet
2 weeks and 3 days equine vet
18 months working at a dealers yard at weekends/holidays (but could only count 12 of this on liverpool form)
1 week llama farm
1 week wildlife centre
I saw only routine lambings, and 2 calfs born (on my last day!) I've never stepped foot on a pig or poultry farm, or in a lab or abbatoir, never saw any farm animal vet work, but i made the most of what i could see (make useful contacts, you'll be glad of having stress free contacts found for EMS
)and got decent references off all of them. These were then sent to nottingham, and the ones asked for by liverpool were taken to interview. Edinburgh rejected me straight out, Bristol put me on hold then rejected me in february, Nottingham and Liverpool both interviewed me... Liverpool emailed me within 11 days (you normally have to wait like 2 months until end of march unless you're seen as 'exceptional' (the rate you on each station, so if you do well at all you get an offer early, or bad at all your get rejected early, everyone else gets pooled and ranked) and nottingham phoned me 4 days after my interview to offer me a place! I'm certainly not near the top of the pile in terms of work exp or grades, however if you can go to interview and come across as genuine, enthusiastic and lively and confident then you stand as good a chance as any.
I'm proof that you dont have to be AMAZING on paper to get an offer, just good enough to get a chance to show off your personality.
Ultimately, you've all got AGES ahead of you, to rectify grades, gain experience etc. The fact you're doing so much already is fab, but dont let your grades suffer as a result. A levels are a huge jump up from GCSE, and require lots of work - be aware of keeping the balance between schoolwork and work experience, as you want the best grades you can get
im applying this year, and we have to "cash in" our AS grades, u didnt so the uni didnt know wat u got?
Original post by Stripes23
I'm just looking at Edinburgh's way of submitting your work experience and they ask for hours spent at each placement. I've been working fairly irregular hours at my riding school for over 3 years now. I don't quite know how I'm meant to total up all those hours.
I've been working very irregular hours at a stables for about three years too. Im just trying to record how many hours i do each month and hopefully i can just enter that when i apply.
Does anybody know of any abattoirs that take work experience students preferably in south england?
I havent found one that will take me within two hours journey so im thinking i might have to travel and stay somewhere.
Original post by hannah.daw
DONT do a language unless you are really, and i mean really good at it. i took spanish at AS and i got a B in my GCSE spanish, and i will be very happy if i get a c at A level, im expecting a D!!! and a girl in my spanish group got at least an A at GCSE and she prob wont get more than a B. i regret it, and so do 3 others out of 7 that took it, so its up to you, and u might breeze thru it but dont say i didnt warn u.
im taking ancient greek lol just didnt want to sound like a nerd :P predicted A*s at spanish, latin & greek at GCSE though so touch wood i will be fine. but thanks for the warning cos i nearly did spanish!
Original post by hannah.daw
im applying this year, and we have to "cash in" our AS grades, u didnt so the uni didnt know wat u got?
the uni's can and did look at what people got in modules even if you put them as pending (they'll claim and swear down that they couldnt, but i know people 'on the inside' and they do
)but anyway, that wasnt my point. What I'm trying to get at, if you dont get straight A's at AS, its not over... the amount of you panicking about GCSE's surprises me actually, unless you're aiming for cambridge, then GCSE's aren't too importatnt provided you get your 5A's inc science, and at least B's in maths and english. Even though we had the advantage of not having to declare things, there's only so much you can hide your results, and even by just showing overall a level grades i still had 2 C's, and I've live to tell the tale
Hello!
I'm a 2013 vetmed hopeful.
So far I have about a week on a dairy farm, and a week at a mixed practice (which included an opportunity to TB test cattle on a farm visit), as well as about 6 months or so of volunteering at an animal rescue centre.
But looking at what you lot have done I need to get cracking on much, much more! Thankfully a local practice has said I can go in as and when so long as I let them know a short while beforehand, and it's so much more interesting than the dreary drivel we learn at school, I find.
Out of interest how are things looking for your GCSEs; what are you all predicted?
I'm now getting the post-exam worries and doubting myself and all that, ah well, just anxious about results day.
I'm a 2013 vetmed hopeful.
So far I have about a week on a dairy farm, and a week at a mixed practice (which included an opportunity to TB test cattle on a farm visit), as well as about 6 months or so of volunteering at an animal rescue centre.
But looking at what you lot have done I need to get cracking on much, much more! Thankfully a local practice has said I can go in as and when so long as I let them know a short while beforehand, and it's so much more interesting than the dreary drivel we learn at school, I find.
Out of interest how are things looking for your GCSEs; what are you all predicted?
I'm now getting the post-exam worries and doubting myself and all that, ah well, just anxious about results day.
Original post by EllHv1
Out of interest how are things looking for your GCSEs; what are you all predicted?
I'm now getting the post-exam worries and doubting myself and all that, ah well, just anxious about results day.
Out of interest how are things looking for your GCSEs; what are you all predicted?
I'm now getting the post-exam worries and doubting myself and all that, ah well, just anxious about results day.
I do a 3 year 6th form, so I've done my GCSEs. But seriously, results day isn't as terrifying as you expect, everyone seemed to do better than they expected :') I was shaking like a leaf, but when you get them it is such a relief!
I'm sure you will all done absolutely fine
GCSEs also don't play a massive part in your offers etc. anyway, providing you have good predicted, ASs, work experience and PS, GCSEs are pretty irrelevant. Obviously you want to have at least As in your sciences and at Maths and English if poss. but it'll be fine!
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Amy7
I do a 3 year 6th form, so I've done my GCSEs. But seriously, results day isn't as terrifying as you expect, everyone seemed to do better than they expected :') I was shaking like a leaf, but when you get them it is such a relief!
I'm sure you will all done absolutely fine
GCSEs also don't play a massive part in your offers etc. anyway, providing you have good predicted, ASs, work experience and PS, GCSEs are pretty irrelevant. Obviously you want to have at least As in your sciences and at Maths and English if poss. but it'll be fine!
I'm sure you will all done absolutely fine
GCSEs also don't play a massive part in your offers etc. anyway, providing you have good predicted, ASs, work experience and PS, GCSEs are pretty irrelevant. Obviously you want to have at least As in your sciences and at Maths and English if poss. but it'll be fine!
That's cool, thanks for the advice. From actually spending time in a practice recently it's really made me realise that actually vet med is definitely the path I want to take
I was worried that the things I saw would put me right off, but thankfully they did't
Original post by EllHv1
it's so much more interesting than the dreary drivel we learn at school, I find.
Out of interest how are things looking for your GCSEs; what are you all predicted?
I'm now getting the post-exam worries and doubting myself and all that, ah well, just anxious about results day.
Out of interest how are things looking for your GCSEs; what are you all predicted?
I'm now getting the post-exam worries and doubting myself and all that, ah well, just anxious about results day.
yes it is
im predicted 11A*s + an A in fsmq (free standing maths qualification) but i doubt i'll get that! definitely not in the fsmq
everyone keeps asking how they want and how results are so far away... i want them now!Original post by Mooseyboy
This looks FAR more interesting than our thread... so HI GUYS!
HI! i want your offers in 2 years time so much haha bristol is my first choice (RVC 2nd) and i want to go there so so so badly but i guess i will have to go anywhere that might take me
roughlywhat sort of work experience have you got?Original post by Leigh303
yes it is
im predicted 11A*s + an A in fsmq (free standing maths qualification) but i doubt i'll get that! definitely not in the fsmq everyone keeps asking how they want and how results are so far away... i want them now!
im predicted 11A*s + an A in fsmq (free standing maths qualification) but i doubt i'll get that! definitely not in the fsmq
everyone keeps asking how they want and how results are so far away... i want them now!wow those are sparkly grades! good luck to you!
Got myself some more work experience at a mixed practice next week
But I still feel so behind everyone in terms of quanitity of work experience!Original post by EllHv1
wow those are sparkly grades! good luck to you!
Got myself some more work experience at a mixed practice next week But I still feel so behind everyone in terms of quanitity of work experience!
Got myself some more work experience at a mixed practice next week
But I still feel so behind everyone in terms of quanitity of work experience!thanks
i think i'll need it! you aren't really tbh, i've only done 2 weeks horses, 1 week sheep (inc. 2 days lambing) and 1 week small animal vet. oh and kennels 3 days a week in holidays since i was about 12, and every day since i was 15.
but ive got 2 separate weeks of small animal booked and hoping to get some dairy done in august, and more sheep here and there.
Original post by Leigh303
thanks i think i'll need it!
you aren't really tbh, i've only done 2 weeks horses, 1 week sheep (inc. 2 days lambing) and 1 week small animal vet. oh and kennels 3 days a week in holidays since i was about 12, and every day since i was 15.
but ive got 2 separate weeks of small animal booked and hoping to get some dairy done in august, and more sheep here and there.
i think i'll need it! you aren't really tbh, i've only done 2 weeks horses, 1 week sheep (inc. 2 days lambing) and 1 week small animal vet. oh and kennels 3 days a week in holidays since i was about 12, and every day since i was 15.
but ive got 2 separate weeks of small animal booked and hoping to get some dairy done in august, and more sheep here and there.
'only done'
you've sure done a fair chunk more than me. I want to see if I can get a few days at farms and maybe an abbatoir this summer as well.
If I'm honest with kennels, from my experience, because you end up doing the same menial things over and over, I'm not sure how it's all that useful to go to them regularlay over a long time scale - I've done around 6 months at one and now feel I want to stick to other things this summer
I could go to a stables too I guess, I'm not a terribly horsey person though so that will be interesting..! I have a parrot and want to go to a practice that deals with birds and exotics as well, but it's tricky to find one locally, I guess w/e is a long ongoing process and we're all just going to have to take the opportunities we get/find as they come
Original post by Leigh303
im predicted 11A*s + an A in fsmq (free standing maths qualification) but i doubt i'll get that! definitely not in the fsmq everyone keeps asking how they want and how results are so far away... i want them now!
im predicted 11A*s + an A in fsmq (free standing maths qualification) but i doubt i'll get that! definitely not in the fsmq
everyone keeps asking how they want and how results are so far away... i want them now!I was predicted 11*s too, but in the end I got 8 *s and 3As.
I hope you get all 11
If you do then I may have to adopt a nickname for you...in a purely friendly sense of course! Original post by EllHv1
..
yeah i have a horrible feeling im going to end up wasting the last bits of august i need to start getting stuff sorted, i have a couple of farm contacts that are apparently willing to take me.
i know about the kennels thing but i do get paid, albeit not much, and the kennels belong to the couple that own my horses so i need to help out sometimes! (i am very horsey haha)
i sent off letters to so many abattoirs, with no response! im getting a farmer's contact for one soon though hopefully..
oo parrots/exotics sounds interesting, i know nothing about them!!
Original post by Amy7
I was predicted 11*s too, but in the end I got 8 *s and 3As.
I hope you get all 11 If you do then I may have to adopt a nickname for you...in a purely friendly sense of course!
I hope you get all 11
If you do then I may have to adopt a nickname for you...in a purely friendly sense of course! haha thank you
if i do (which is unlikely lets face it) you can although i dread to think what it will be Original post by Leigh303
yeah i have a horrible feeling im going to end up wasting the last bits of august i need to start getting stuff sorted, i have a couple of farm contacts that are apparently willing to take me.
i know about the kennels thing but i do get paid, albeit not much, and the kennels belong to the couple that own my horses so i need to help out sometimes! (i am very horsey haha)
i sent off letters to so many abattoirs, with no response! im getting a farmer's contact for one soon though hopefully..
oo parrots/exotics sounds interesting, i know nothing about them!!
i know about the kennels thing but i do get paid, albeit not much, and the kennels belong to the couple that own my horses so i need to help out sometimes! (i am very horsey haha)
i sent off letters to so many abattoirs, with no response! im getting a farmer's contact for one soon though hopefully..
oo parrots/exotics sounds interesting, i know nothing about them!!
Ah, fair enough about getting paid
a lot of ladies on here then, interesting to see how much truth there is in what I heard, that there are far more women than men doing vet med now, especially compared to how many men there used to be 15 years ago.
Tbf at the practice I've done some w/e at, all of the staff were female! tbh I just don't get why apparently less chaps are interested in the career.
I might be mistaken though, I mean, how much truth is there in what I'd heard^^?
Original post by Leigh303
HI! i want your offers in 2 years time so much haha bristol is my first choice (RVC 2nd) and i want to go there so so so badly but i guess i will have to go anywhere that might take me roughlywhat sort of work experience have you got?
roughlywhat sort of work experience have you got?Welll... Currrently stands at 6 weeks lambing, 9 weeks SA vet, 1 week mixed and 1 week bovine specialist, like 50 weeeks dairy but i milk cows as my job soo
, 1 week falconry. I'm sure there's more but can't remember. And i have alot but no variety so do kennels etc. Oh i did a weeks equine too!If any of you lot are based around Bedfordshire gimmee a shout and i can probably get you farmwork. But it will be hard hard work.
TBH guys, best advice for these next two years is get your head down, work hard and play hard.
PS. Louise - You smell
Original post by Mooseyboy
Welll... Currrently stands at 6 weeks lambing, 9 weeks SA vet, 1 week mixed and 1 week bovine specialist, like 50 weeeks dairy but i milk cows as my job soo , 1 week falconry. I'm sure there's more but can't remember. And i have alot but no variety so do kennels etc. Oh i did a weeks equine too!
If any of you lot are based around Bedfordshire gimmee a shout and i can probably get you farmwork. But it will be hard hard work.
TBH guys, best advice for these next two years is get your head down, work hard and play hard.
PS. Louise - You smell
, 1 week falconry. I'm sure there's more but can't remember. And i have alot but no variety so do kennels etc. Oh i did a weeks equine too!If any of you lot are based around Bedfordshire gimmee a shout and i can probably get you farmwork. But it will be hard hard work.
TBH guys, best advice for these next two years is get your head down, work hard and play hard.
PS. Louise - You smell
Toms lying, his farm work isnt hard, he sits around drinking tea and listening to radio 1 all day, texting me!
As much as it pains me to say it, toms advice is right
also, variety and quality is much better than quantity, for example, you could have a zillion weeks on farms, at vets etc, but if you dont have a 'core' placement, eg kennels, dairy farm, stables etc, then chances are you wont get an interview from liverpool - cant say about the others but def true for liverpool!!
PS. Tom - Go die in a hole
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