Opinions of the Uni's

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Why is Bristol so popular?

People do seem to have an impression that Cambridge is really researchy and not very hands on. Two22 is right though, in the first two years we did large animal handling classes, had live anatomy sessions with the vet school horses and dogs and various exotics classes. I think you'd find most vet school are quite theory orientated in the first couple of years but then you do need to know the theory (ok not all of it...some anyway!) I think Two22 is also right that the high proportion of researchers that come out of Cambridge (and I'm not even sure there are that many more than the other vet schools) are a product of the type of people they admit rather than the course itself. I'm not sure they admit purely on academic ability though, not sure I would have got in if they did, I think my work experience swung it for me. I don't think people should be pressured in to Cambridge because it's Cambridge but I also think some of the opinions expressed are based on outdated ideas. I get a bit sick of some of the sarcastic comments I get from older generation vets when seeing practice (they usually only make these type of comments once and dont repeat them when they realise I'm not completely incompetent!) if people carry on thinking Cambridge is just about research the next generation of Cambridge vets with be subjected to the same thing!

Reply 22

trainee vet

Sorry that sounded really ranty!

Reply 23

Sarah_V

Nah, go for it! To be honest, as much as the bias must come into it somewhat, anyone at Cambridge now must know far more about the course structure, seeing as they are actually studying there.

Course structure did come into it when I was picking where to apply, since I really liked the sound of Nottingham's course layout. But it's always personal isn't it...you're going to be a vet at the end of the day, and there isn't a "bad" vet school, as I said earlier...

Does anyone know the entry stats for all the vet schools? I know Nottingham's a 1/12 chance of getting a place...can't remember the interview stats though...

Reply 24

-steph-

It was 1/4- interview stats. Vet science can range from 1-12 to 1-18 per place.

Reply 25

leggielass

Well...from the stats quoted by you lot this year and according to our Dean who made a speech the other week at congress, it's actually getting easier to get into vet school, and there are slightly fewer applicants each year. I find this hard to believe and i'm not really sure why it is. When I applied (vet school's gone so fast its always hard to remember that this was 5 years ago!) There was a 1 in 16 chance of getting a Liverpool interview and then 1:3 chance of being offered a place if you made the interview stage. These were quoted exactly for that year, 2002, by our admissions secretary.
I applied to cambridge, New Hall, and when i went to the open day, I had a meeting arranged with a member of the vet staff who said that out of courtesy, they interviewed every student that applied to do veterinary medicine. Things may have changed. On the interview day there were 16 of us there competing for 4 places. That's 1 in 4 chance of getting in, which at the time was damn good odds compared to the other vet schools.
So it all looks a little brighter for getting in for you lot, specially now Notingham is open now too. Perhaps this is why the odds are more favourable at the moment?

I'm realising that i'm comparitively an old fossil and may have to hang up my student room boots on Friday when I finally fail/pass the vet course!

Reply 26

ch0c0h01ic

Oh, and to the person who was told at the Bristol open day that they didn't get to touch/handle animals for the first couple of years, were you talking to one of the cleaners?

In my first year we go out to Langford(the clinical campus) once a week for animal handling practicals, cows, pigs, sheep, horses, chickens, companion animals and exotics. We also have a 'barn' out the back of Southwell Street(preclinical campus) which has a horse, used to be a cow(she pinned one of the lecturers to the wall!), goats (and kiddies!), couple of dogs, ferrets, chinchillas, rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, gerbils, snakes and some pigeons and budgies. You can visit there whenever you want to get extra practice.

And, all i can say, was that in my 2 interviews at Girton(Cambridge) 1 or 2 years back, it was all research orientated. They didn't look at my PS or ask me any q's about my work exp, my sports or my D of E gold at all. I handed them references and they weren't interested. All it was was thinking problems for about 1 hour straight overall to judge my learning/academic potential/research potential.

Reply 27

)(--becca--)(

No actually she was a 4th or 5th year vet student - i cant remember which. She did say there was animal handling classes in first year but nothing during years 2 and 3. Anyway I was criticising it - I said that was what EMS was for! Somebody said they didn't at cambridge and i was just making the point that apparently Bristol don't either.

When I went to Bristol I liked the course content and lecturers who took my interview but wasn't very impressed with the tour. I saw none of the facilities, things like the small animal hospital were just pointed out to me from the outside of the buildings "oh yeah - the equine hospitals in there". It wouldn't have made me not want to go there (I was rejected anyway!) but it didn't look as good when London and Liverpool gave tours that actually showed the facilities. I'm not slagging off Bristol, its just that my tour was rubbish! I can't comment on the facilities cos I didn't see them!

Reply 28

SlipperyWhenWet

DartsOfPleasure

Why is Bristol so popular?

Cos it was on the telly :rolleyes:

Did you guys watch "vet school" back in the day?!

Reply 29

Phaza

RVC is equally famous because of Supervets.

Reply 30

)(--becca--)(

Remember Vets In Practice! I loved it!

Reply 31

SlipperyWhenWet

Phaza

RVC is equally famous because of Supervets.

LOL I guess that was the 'Vet School' for you younger people!

Reply 32

TW = LEGEND

hey guys im stuck between applying to bristol or rvc and i was wondering if yous help!!i know its a personal choice but i would just like to hear your views of anyone who is at bristol or rvc or anyone who has visited the unis!im def applying to glasgow,edinburgh and liverpool and im stuck on my last choice!any help would be great thanks!! :smile:

Reply 33

ch0c0h01ic

Bristol is in a nicer city, cleaner, less crime (depends where you go), more green open space, lots of cool places to go if you're in one of the sports clubs like the Brecons for climbing, Devon for surfing, Dartmoor for walking, it has a good nightlife, and you get to mix easily with other people on other courses. Also, i think its cheap, well compared to where i come from(outskirts of London), accommodation is a lot cheaper. And, Bristol, in my eyes has a better reputation/more respected among vets.

RVC, Camden is pretty scrubby, more dodgy area. Expensive, to live, go out or eat. Little or no local sporting facilities. Little or no mixing with people on other courses because the 2 main houses are all vets. Hawkshead is in the middle of nowhere. Some people love Hawkshead and Camden, some don't. RVC is the easiest vet school to get into, if you get an interview, you will almost certainly get an offer, the same cannot be said for Bristol who are more selective. If you want to practice abroad, RVC and Edinburgh do some certification where you can globally standardise your qualifications, but then, there are other ways of doing it at Bristol, it just costs slightly more.

Reply 34

)(--becca--)(

Yeah if your worried about getting in, your more likely to get into RVC because they have more places and its not a fact or anything but I've heard they're more lenient with grades on results day!

Reply 35

DartsOfPleasure

And, Bristol, in my eyes has a better reputation/more respected among vets.

What are you basing this on? None of the vets I've spoken too have ever put RVC down. You seem to have an incredibly negative outlook to it, probably because you go to Bristol and not there. Eek, I just want to be sure that choosing RVC over Bristol was the right decision

Reply 36

Hel' in Heaven

DartsOfPleasure

I just want to be sure that choosing RVC over Bristol was the right decision

It was, don't fret.. I'm just too tired to explain all the good points about London that have already been made on other threads.
Just one: someone above talked about lack of sports facilities... which is completely false. There are 3 gyms in walking distance of college, where we can get discounts. The ULU gym is at a 20 minute walk, has great facilities, the biggest swimming pool in London and a sports' hall. It caters for basically any sport you want, and of course there are the RVC sports teams up at Hawkshead! I'm not in any of those, but I know there are squash courts and football pitches up there.. Oh and of course the Thames for all you rowers out there!
ok now I must go and rest :p:

Reply 37

)(--becca--)(

I don't think any are respected more than others amongst vets, perhapse with the acception of nottingham at the moment, but only because people don't know what to expect yet. Some vets warned me off nottingham because its new (sorry nottingham offerees!) but some will give it more respect for been innovotive (sp?).

Reply 38

ch0c0h01ic

Sure, i have a rose tinted view of Bristol, but i was just stating the facts. RVC is more expensive, the area around the college is scrubbier, and from what i know (with a parent as a civil servant) its not the nicest/safest of areas. Sure, London as a whole doesn't lack sporting facilities, but RVC does lack university sporting facilities. I have a university gym, swimming pool, courts, exercise rooms, etc, 20 minutes or less from me, and because i have a sports pass, they are free to use, my membership, i guarantee will be cheaper than anything you will be able to get. Sure, Hawkshead has sporting teams, but no real sporting facilities, it has pitches, but no gym, swimming pool, tennis courts, etc.

RVC is a good vet school, they all are, but i would recommend Bristol for a better overall university experience. I could have easily gone to RVC, but i chose not to. Sure, the vet school is nice, but the areas around it aren't particularly great. Its all down to your personal preference. I went around the RVC local areas, didn't particularly like them, there was nothing they could really offer me, went around the vet school, not much different from any of the others.

I went round Bristol, i liked it, it was safer, better local facilities, better chance to mix with other people on other courses and more open spaces, London's so claustrophobic. And, London is too close to home :smile:

Reply 39

batty_hatty

ch0c0h01ic

I will admit that RVC is not the best for facilities and isn't what i expected but before you slag it off chocoholic, would you please get your facts right, Hawkshead does in fact have a swimming pool. Unlike you (it seems) many people don't go to university, or choose their university on sports facilities, and your point about there not being any specifically for the RVc esp in Camden is moot due to ULU being so close. Sorry to rant but you are being unneccesarily harsh in reply to someone who has already chosen RVC.