A request for advice
Hello everyone,
This is my first post, so apologies if I have done anything wrong in putting this here.
Long story short, I am taking a gap year to decide what to do with my life. In my second year of college I became bored, didn't work, and subsequently, in lieu of my A*A*AA predictions, got ABBB (foolish I know).
These were in history, chemistry, maths, and physics respectively.
So if I were to decide I wanted to become a vet, would I have any chance at all? What would I have to do?
Would retakes be necessary to bump up the grades? Would veterinary courses accept these?
Work experience would need to be accrued also, would it be better to wait and apply next year after have don so?
GCSEs are the only facet of the application process that are ok. 8A*s and 4As with triple science (A*s) and whatnot.
Taking AS and A2 biology (teaching it myself at home), is that a good idea? I have heard of others doing this in the past.
TLDR: I have ABBB a-levels, no biology, no work experience and am taking a gap year. Do I have any hope of becoming a vet in the future, or should I give up and look for a different career?
Any input would be appreciated, thank you.
This is my first post, so apologies if I have done anything wrong in putting this here.
Long story short, I am taking a gap year to decide what to do with my life. In my second year of college I became bored, didn't work, and subsequently, in lieu of my A*A*AA predictions, got ABBB (foolish I know).
These were in history, chemistry, maths, and physics respectively.
So if I were to decide I wanted to become a vet, would I have any chance at all? What would I have to do?
Would retakes be necessary to bump up the grades? Would veterinary courses accept these?
Work experience would need to be accrued also, would it be better to wait and apply next year after have don so?
GCSEs are the only facet of the application process that are ok. 8A*s and 4As with triple science (A*s) and whatnot.
Taking AS and A2 biology (teaching it myself at home), is that a good idea? I have heard of others doing this in the past.
TLDR: I have ABBB a-levels, no biology, no work experience and am taking a gap year. Do I have any hope of becoming a vet in the future, or should I give up and look for a different career?
Any input would be appreciated, thank you.
(edited 9 years ago)
If it's really what you want to do, then you can make the effort.
Do you have any unis in mind that you would like to go to? Have a look at what unis typically want for veterinary courses.
You will probably need to retake. The good thing is, if you do retake there will already be some motivation there because you won't want to do the exact same mistake this time. But, it will be tedious.
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Do you have any unis in mind that you would like to go to? Have a look at what unis typically want for veterinary courses.
You will probably need to retake. The good thing is, if you do retake there will already be some motivation there because you won't want to do the exact same mistake this time. But, it will be tedious.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Sebastian01
TLDR: I have ABBB a-levels, no biology, no work experience and am taking a gap year. Do I have any hope of becoming a vet in the future, or should I give up and look for a different career?
Any input would be appreciated, thank you.
TLDR: I have ABBB a-levels, no biology, no work experience and am taking a gap year. Do I have any hope of becoming a vet in the future, or should I give up and look for a different career?
Any input would be appreciated, thank you.
If you have no work experience, how can you be sure you really have a passion for this sort of career? It's quite easy to get a rose tinted view of what the life of a vet is like - which is NOT what they make it out to be on the TV. To get a more realistic view of the job you need to get some work experience to find out if this is what you want to do on a day to day basis . Vet med is one of the most competitive courses in the UK - you will be up against people who have a lot more work experience than you (having perhaps failed to get in first time so already having some work exp. behind them) so it may be difficult for you to get a place. Another thing to consider is the fact that unis are churning out more and more vets whilst the pet population is rather stagnant in the UK - you might even struggle to get a job as a vet in years to come when there is a true oversupply of vets.
Not all unis allow retakes, BUT some do and to find out if they allow retake students you are best to look online or send them an email (I'm not sure which ones do or don't).
It's possible to study for the exam part of Biology A2 BUT you need to sit the practical part somewhere in a college/school etc. and you need a lot of motivation to do this yourself too.
No, it's not impossible for you to get into vet med - but you would need to be REALLY dedicated and determined to get there and it may take you some time for you to get a place. Really, I think the first step would be to get some work exp ASAP (and not necessarily just art the vets) to see if this is what you really want to aim for
Hope this helps! Good luck
I agree with Silverstar.
Also, to clarify, just about all the vet schools require 4-10 weeks or more (depending on the school) for work experience. So getting some before applying is not just a good idea, it is pretty much a MUST. Many students shoot for 15 weeks+, in order to be competitive for Liverpool, as they are the most demanding on work experience.
Biology will be a must, as will chemistry, probably minimum A. Look at the different schools for specific requirements.This is unless you do a Gateway program, which is also competitive and has strict requirements-again, do your research.
If you apply as a graduate student-do a degree first-you might have a better chance with those A levels, assuming you do well in your first degree, but there is virtually no funding available. So you would be looking at paying 9,000 to 28,000+ per year for 4 to 5 years out of your own pocket.
I also agree that work experience is vital to helping you decide if this career is for you. Therefore again, I strongly recommend you work at getting some. See the work experience "stickied" thread up top for guidelines but in general you want small animal vet, large animal vet, cattle (especially dairy), equine, kennels (cat and dog if possible), lambing is strongly recommended, and whatever else you can get.
Good luck.
Also, to clarify, just about all the vet schools require 4-10 weeks or more (depending on the school) for work experience. So getting some before applying is not just a good idea, it is pretty much a MUST. Many students shoot for 15 weeks+, in order to be competitive for Liverpool, as they are the most demanding on work experience.
Biology will be a must, as will chemistry, probably minimum A. Look at the different schools for specific requirements.This is unless you do a Gateway program, which is also competitive and has strict requirements-again, do your research.
If you apply as a graduate student-do a degree first-you might have a better chance with those A levels, assuming you do well in your first degree, but there is virtually no funding available. So you would be looking at paying 9,000 to 28,000+ per year for 4 to 5 years out of your own pocket.
I also agree that work experience is vital to helping you decide if this career is for you. Therefore again, I strongly recommend you work at getting some. See the work experience "stickied" thread up top for guidelines but in general you want small animal vet, large animal vet, cattle (especially dairy), equine, kennels (cat and dog if possible), lambing is strongly recommended, and whatever else you can get.
Good luck.
They are right. I have been a vet for 25 years and mentored lots of applicants, and quite a few very able hopefuls have decided after work experience that they don't want to be a vet after all. If so, far better then than after starting the degree. You won't know if you want to do it until you have had some coal face experience. It is not like anything else, and the good and bad bits are not IME exactly what you might expect them to be.
Hello again everyone,
Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond. Just to clarify then, it is possible (albeit with a lot of hard work and determination), however I should prioritise getting a good amount of work experience first to ensure this is really what I want to do.
Thanks again,
Sebastian
Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond. Just to clarify then, it is possible (albeit with a lot of hard work and determination), however I should prioritise getting a good amount of work experience first to ensure this is really what I want to do.
Thanks again,
Sebastian
You need the grades, and the work experience. And it has to be varied work experience, lots of different things, small animal practice, large animal, lambing, dairy etc. Most applicants spend years and years of their lives accumulating work experience so they are strong candidates when they apply, bear this in mind!
Good luck
Good luck
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