Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Veterinary medicine - work experience

Hi, I'm planning on applying for vet school in October this year but I only did my first work experience last October, 2015. I'm still planning on getting at least 10 weeks by the time I apply but as I will be coming up against people who have been volunteering with animals from a young age, will I be at a big disadvantage? Will the universities see me as somebody who has chosen veterinary medicine only recently and so won't be as passionate about the subject? Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

2344277

Original post by ChristiaanWhite

I would make sure you get all the basics, eg small animal vets, large if you can, livestock farms including lambing, kennels/cattery and stables before you start doing extras such as zoos, abattoirs or labs. Try to get as much variety as possible though.
However, the most important thing is not the amount you have - if you pay a lot of attention on work experience and can prove in your personal statement (and interviews) how much you learnt from your time and get good references from all your placements, you will be at an advantage. They don't care how long you've wanted to be a vet for, just how much you do now! Check the requirements for Unis you want to go to (maybe don't apply to Liverpool as they do place a lot of weight on weeks of work exp)
Also, it's very common for vet applicants to take a gap year to get more experience, so if you are doubtful about reaching the minimum requirements this year don't feel like you can't apply next year. Good luck!

Reply 2

purplecarrot13

Don't be put off by other people getting work experience at a young age. I started looking for work experience at 14 and wasn't able to get anything until half way through Year 11. I spent the whole of my AS year working during all weekends and holidays full-time except for Christmas, and managed to get over 15 weeks during this time. I now hold offers for two universities so far this year, so you do not need to worry about not having long amounts of work experience. Whilst this does show that you are committed, the quality of your work experience will be much more important to show how much you have actually learnt. It would be better to have a week on a dairy farm and appreciate/understand that field a lot more than spending 6 months working on a farm and did not ask questions or get involved with it!