The Student Room Group

Rejection and reapplication (veterinary medicine)

I just wondered if any parents had tips for supporting their child through the rejection process. DD has applied to 4 Unis for vetmed; she already has A levels A*/A/A and about 20 weeks work experience. She is now on a gap year working full time as an assistant for a vets.

Despite this she has had one rejection, likely to get another this week and has not heard from one. She had an interview today - the only one she has had and she was so nervous she was crying beforehand and thinks she messed up.

in retrospect her personal statement could have been stronger and her school reference although glowing should have said different things, which was perhaps why she has not been called for interview by the others.

i think she is likely to be in a position where she has to reapply next year. I wondered if other parents had been through this and how you supported your child.
Reply 1
Sorry I can't answer from the perspective of having been through the same but just want to offer support and such limited advice as I can.

You say your daughter is on a gap year now, was this planned or did she get rejections from the last cycle ie the year she sat her A levels? What I'm asking is this her first cycle of applications or her second? Does she have a 5th back up option like animal welfare or vet nursing?

Some unis might not be happy if she's taken a couple of years away from academic study (like if she reapplies next year). This tends to apply to subjects like maths as you get rusty as it were but may not be so applicable here and there is a strong possibility I'm talking out of my backside.

What I do know as a case history is that a friend of my son's did a degree in vet nursing or animal welfare and is now doing a degree in vet med at Cambridge. Ok I don't know how competitive this is and it is likely an expensive option but it is at least doable.

I really hope your daughter has done better than she feared and that she gets good news from the yet undecideds. My heart goes out to you too as we parents go through it all too.

All best wishes.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 2
Thank you for your comments. This is her first application as her school were reluctant to predict an A in Chemistry. Reapplication for vetmed is very common I think, so I doubt it will count against her. I think she will have another go next year and possibly the year after! It is all she wants to do! She came back from the interview in a good mood as at least she knows what to expect for next year.


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Reply 3
Original post by Vet mum
Thank you for your comments. This is her first application as her school were reluctant to predict an A in Chemistry. Reapplication for vetmed is very common I think, so I doubt it will count against her. I think she will have another go next year and possibly the year after! It is all she wants to do! She came back from the interview in a good mood as at least she knows what to expect for next year.


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Well here's hoping she gets in this year, you never know. I know for medicine of the human kind reapplication is very common ( and with a good success rate) so it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case for vet med.

Might be worth just checking the options for other courses re animal welfare and the like in worst case scenario in case next year isn't good either. As I mentioned before there is more than one route in.

Good luck! :smile:
although I dont have personal experieince of this I've heard parents talking of vet medicine being even more competitive than human medicine and reapplicaions being common. All the applicants have good grades so work experience is what makes the difference - not just how much they have but that it covers both large and small animals. If the vet she works with does both domestic animals and farm animals fine - if not talk to local farmers about helping with lambing and get some experience with horses (one of the parents said their child was rejected for not having experience with horses). If there is a local zoo try and get some experience there. She still has the chance to hear frrom one place and she's had an interview that may turn into an offer - if not ask for feedback.

Is she has to reapply consider the RVC. They use BMAT to sift applicants and that puts some people off but there is a BMAT book and she could practice.

Good luck, I hope things turn out better than you think this year.. .
Reply 5
Thank you all for your comments. She has a fair amount of work experience including dairy, lambing and equine, also exotics in a zoo. She couldn't get a farm vet (it was cancelled) but spent a week with an equine vet. Not including her current job she has around 20 weeks which is more than many successful candidates.

Her reference from school was glowing about her academic aptitude. The only thing I can think of was that her personal achievements or responsibilities were not highlighted enough.

i think her strategy might be to quit the vet job and get more experience with farm stock and perhaps target Liverpool although she disliked it. Also the BMAT and target the RVC which she also disliked.

She was a bit thrown by the MMI interview she had. Other candidates were told they could stop talking after a couple of minutes for most stations as they had covered everything but she only had that once! She did a practice one at her old school but that could be another avenue to improve! A lot of the other candidates were reapplicants, ironically enough.
my child is studying medicine. They read all the university statements of requirement carefully and then made sure that both their personal statement and their reference covered the relevant points. They also found some useful information on this website about how the universities scored applications. I don't know if there is anything similar for vet medicine but there is a wiki here http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Veterinary_Medicine
It isnt just work experience that Unis look for - its mature reflection on that work experience. Not what they saw but what they felt and how its changed their attitude/views on the reality of Vet work. Applicants also need to provide demonstrable evidence that they realise that being a Vet isnt just about clinical work - Vets have major a role in public health, quarantine issues, abattoirs and farming/food production etc. This is the biggest difference between Vet Nursing and Vets.

Lots of advice here : http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Veterinary_Medicine

And yes it is worth making a fresh application next year, Pack in as much work experience as she can over the summer in as many different 'animal' settings or surgeries as possible and apply again in Sept/Oct with a fresh PS and some more 'grown-up' ideas. She can reapply to Unis who have rejected her this year - this is very common and lots of 2nd applications get interviews/places BECAUSE they that bit older/wiser and more confident the 2nd time around. Just be aware that all Vet Schools WILL require her to attend interviews and being on a Gap Year in Australia etc will not be seen as a valid excuse. So plan any travel etc for after Easter!
Original post by Vet mum
I just wondered if any parents had tips for supporting their child through the rejection process. DD has applied to 4 Unis for vetmed; she already has A levels A*/A/A and about 20 weeks work experience. She is now on a gap year working full time as an assistant for a vets.

Despite this she has had one rejection, likely to get another this week and has not heard from one. She had an interview today - the only one she has had and she was so nervous she was crying beforehand and thinks she messed up.

in retrospect her personal statement could have been stronger and her school reference although glowing should have said different things, which was perhaps why she has not been called for interview by the others.

i think she is likely to be in a position where she has to reapply next year. I wondered if other parents had been through this and how you supported your child.


Hello, I am unable to answer from a parents perspective, however from a student going through a similar experience as your child. I am a student who has applied to adult nursing (even though it is a different course to vet med) this year again. I would like to say that you daughter has done really well with her A levels and will definitely fulfill the academic criteria for the course and as well as experience. And that is great that she is gaining more experience relating to the course.

I have already had 2 interviews and have received rejections for both. I am sorry to hear about the situation and the other university is likely to be considering her as it is a competitive course and maybe she hasn't done as bad as she thinks. It is quite hard as my interviews haven't gone well for me this year. All I can do is have hope and maybe practice for the interview as I'm sure your child will be invited to.
Even though I'm not going through a situation as a parent, I know that it can be quite worrying and stressing too as my parents are probably feeling the same as you are and just want the best for us. I really appreciate, that you are supporting your child throughout this process ad with her a bit in of becoming a Vet and if she has to apply next year she could just gain more experience and even have a higher chance of getting in.

I understand that this can be a really difficult time for both parents and applicants. I wish your daughter the best of luck with her application. And I'm sure your child will get a place and be able to achieve her ambitions with your support. :biggrin:



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