2023 Veterinary Medicine Applicants
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Original post by denizinthedepths
Hi everyone! I am in year 12. I go to a french school in Turkey. My three "specialties" aka equivalants of a-levels are biology, maths and physics/chemistry. It's been hard to find work experience so far, I've only done a week of a small animal practise. Got 2 weeks lined up for wildlife research and 1 week in a cattary this summer, but that's about it. I'm thinking of applying to RVC, Edinburgh, Bristol and Glasgow! Very excited to move to the UK 
But it's so hard to find work experience...
But it's so hard to find work experience...Hi, I would suggest trying to find more experience in some non-clinical places like pet shops as they would not require volunteers to have much experiences, if not, don’t worry coz I think you already got about-enough non-clinical experiences. I would say going to the small animal practice again would also be a brilliant idea as RVC would require 70hours of clinical experiences before entering to the uni anyway. Good luck with your application next year!
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by ANGLE73
Hi, I would suggest trying to find more experience in some non-clinical places like pet shops as they would not require volunteers to have much experiences, if not, don’t worry coz I think you already got about-enough non-clinical experiences. I would say going to the small animal practice again would also be a brilliant idea as RVC would require 70hours of clinical experiences before entering to the uni anyway. Good luck with your application next year!
Thank you so much! I'll definetly go back to the small vet then
I really appreciate your advice!!Hi this is my first post so I don’t know if I’m posting this in the right place. I want to apply for veterinary medicine 2023 entry (I’m currently in year 12) but I only decided I wanted to be a vet back in November so I don’t know if it’s worth doing since it might be a bit late.
Im doing biology, chemistry and psychology a levels an also an epq on emotional support animals. To my knowledge you can still apply for veterinary without maths a level so will it affect my chances of getting offers?
In terms of work experience, I’ve done half a day at a small animal practice and I’ve got more with them for a week in the summer and another week with another practice later on as well. I did a week at a cattery in February and have 4 days booked for farm work experience in April. I’m still trying to get equine/dairy/kennel experience although it’s hard as some places have certain policies where they can’t take on work experience students so would this be sufficient? I have heard others getting 10+ weeks and I don’t know if my ideal 5+ weeks would be fine too.
Since I’ve heard a lot of people applying for veterinary and they’ve lived on farms and stuff I don’t know if I would be fit to apply too since I have far less knowledge/experience with animals particularly horses and farm ones. I have been trying to read up on current issues and have talked to people who are vets about the career but I just wanted to know if what I’m doing is enough and if there’s anything else I should do.
Thanks in advance
Im doing biology, chemistry and psychology a levels an also an epq on emotional support animals. To my knowledge you can still apply for veterinary without maths a level so will it affect my chances of getting offers?
In terms of work experience, I’ve done half a day at a small animal practice and I’ve got more with them for a week in the summer and another week with another practice later on as well. I did a week at a cattery in February and have 4 days booked for farm work experience in April. I’m still trying to get equine/dairy/kennel experience although it’s hard as some places have certain policies where they can’t take on work experience students so would this be sufficient? I have heard others getting 10+ weeks and I don’t know if my ideal 5+ weeks would be fine too.
Since I’ve heard a lot of people applying for veterinary and they’ve lived on farms and stuff I don’t know if I would be fit to apply too since I have far less knowledge/experience with animals particularly horses and farm ones. I have been trying to read up on current issues and have talked to people who are vets about the career but I just wanted to know if what I’m doing is enough and if there’s anything else I should do.
Thanks in advance
Original post by Sophiac88
Hi this is my first post so I don’t know if I’m posting this in the right place. I want to apply for veterinary medicine 2023 entry (I’m currently in year 12) but I only decided I wanted to be a vet back in November so I don’t know if it’s worth doing since it might be a bit late.
Im doing biology, chemistry and psychology a levels an also an epq on emotional support animals. To my knowledge you can still apply for veterinary without maths a level so will it affect my chances of getting offers?
In terms of work experience, I’ve done half a day at a small animal practice and I’ve got more with them for a week in the summer and another week with another practice later on as well. I did a week at a cattery in February and have 4 days booked for farm work experience in April. I’m still trying to get equine/dairy/kennel experience although it’s hard as some places have certain policies where they can’t take on work experience students so would this be sufficient? I have heard others getting 10+ weeks and I don’t know if my ideal 5+ weeks would be fine too.
Since I’ve heard a lot of people applying for veterinary and they’ve lived on farms and stuff I don’t know if I would be fit to apply too since I have far less knowledge/experience with animals particularly horses and farm ones. I have been trying to read up on current issues and have talked to people who are vets about the career but I just wanted to know if what I’m doing is enough and if there’s anything else I should do.
Thanks in advance
Im doing biology, chemistry and psychology a levels an also an epq on emotional support animals. To my knowledge you can still apply for veterinary without maths a level so will it affect my chances of getting offers?
In terms of work experience, I’ve done half a day at a small animal practice and I’ve got more with them for a week in the summer and another week with another practice later on as well. I did a week at a cattery in February and have 4 days booked for farm work experience in April. I’m still trying to get equine/dairy/kennel experience although it’s hard as some places have certain policies where they can’t take on work experience students so would this be sufficient? I have heard others getting 10+ weeks and I don’t know if my ideal 5+ weeks would be fine too.
Since I’ve heard a lot of people applying for veterinary and they’ve lived on farms and stuff I don’t know if I would be fit to apply too since I have far less knowledge/experience with animals particularly horses and farm ones. I have been trying to read up on current issues and have talked to people who are vets about the career but I just wanted to know if what I’m doing is enough and if there’s anything else I should do.
Thanks in advance
Hi, yes it is still worth applying! Yes, you don't need maths A Level for any of the unis, the only ones which may want 3 science A Levels is Cambridge and potentially the Scottish ones but even then you still have a chance of applying without. I took the same combination as you and I am a first year at Liverpool! As long as you meet the minimums in terms of both grades and work experience then you have an equal chance as everyone else - they definitely don't rank you based on if you got loads of work experience or above minimum grades - you do have to make sure you meet the minimums including at GCSE and ideally your predicted A Level grades too, but someone getting A*A*A* or all 9s won't get any extra points than someone getting minimum. Work experience is same too - they can't rule you out as long as you meet the criteria, though I do say try to do as much work experience as possible purely because work experience will form the basis of all your forms and interviews, so the more you see the more you can talk about, and I also think it shows more dedication and having more experience will help you as a vet student later on.
Trust me, the minority of vet students come from a farming background and a lot haven't had much experience around any kind of large animal before vet school - I'm horsey but when I'm at a horse yard I'm still the more inexperienced one generally, but during an animal handling session at uni I was the only one in my group who had any knowledge of horses. You have more than enough time at vet school to be taught - I also know near to nothing about farming, hence we have EMS (essentially work experience placements once you're at uni) and animal handling sessions and lectures on the animals - they don't expect you to have experience with everything and they'll get you up to speed. It is great you've managed to find the practice placements! I'd say to try and reach out to riding schools etc as they generally always love an extra pair of hands and the horses there are usually very well handled so make good practice - I do think having some exposure to the species before just so you know the basics of their husbandry is beneficial. As long as you have the minimum 2 weeks clinical and 2-4 weeks non-clinical as is for most unis I wouldn't overly worry though - just make sure you gather your references early (best just after you finish a placement) and keep a work experience diary so you remember everything and can speak about your experience and what you learned in good depth, and how your work experience links you to being a good vet student.
Original post by Sophiac88
Hi this is my first post so I don’t know if I’m posting this in the right place. I want to apply for veterinary medicine 2023 entry (I’m currently in year 12) but I only decided I wanted to be a vet back in November so I don’t know if it’s worth doing since it might be a bit late.
Im doing biology, chemistry and psychology a levels an also an epq on emotional support animals. To my knowledge you can still apply for veterinary without maths a level so will it affect my chances of getting offers?
In terms of work experience, I’ve done half a day at a small animal practice and I’ve got more with them for a week in the summer and another week with another practice later on as well. I did a week at a cattery in February and have 4 days booked for farm work experience in April. I’m still trying to get equine/dairy/kennel experience although it’s hard as some places have certain policies where they can’t take on work experience students so would this be sufficient? I have heard others getting 10+ weeks and I don’t know if my ideal 5+ weeks would be fine too.
Since I’ve heard a lot of people applying for veterinary and they’ve lived on farms and stuff I don’t know if I would be fit to apply too since I have far less knowledge/experience with animals particularly horses and farm ones. I have been trying to read up on current issues and have talked to people who are vets about the career but I just wanted to know if what I’m doing is enough and if there’s anything else I should do.
Thanks in advance
Im doing biology, chemistry and psychology a levels an also an epq on emotional support animals. To my knowledge you can still apply for veterinary without maths a level so will it affect my chances of getting offers?
In terms of work experience, I’ve done half a day at a small animal practice and I’ve got more with them for a week in the summer and another week with another practice later on as well. I did a week at a cattery in February and have 4 days booked for farm work experience in April. I’m still trying to get equine/dairy/kennel experience although it’s hard as some places have certain policies where they can’t take on work experience students so would this be sufficient? I have heard others getting 10+ weeks and I don’t know if my ideal 5+ weeks would be fine too.
Since I’ve heard a lot of people applying for veterinary and they’ve lived on farms and stuff I don’t know if I would be fit to apply too since I have far less knowledge/experience with animals particularly horses and farm ones. I have been trying to read up on current issues and have talked to people who are vets about the career but I just wanted to know if what I’m doing is enough and if there’s anything else I should do.
Thanks in advance
Hi!!! You absolutely don’t need maths. I did geography as my first subject and got all my offers so it’s absolutely not needed! I don’t know if it’s changed slightly since I applied but I had to put my placements in as weeks so you might need to check that and maybe add a day onto your farm placement!
I would say a vet practice, a farm, a cats/dog placement and horses is good. I’d recommend a large animal vet as well as a small animal but this isn’t neccisary! Check all the unis work experience requirements and try to satisfy the highest so you know you’re covered for all of them. If you can spare 4 hours (in a block) a week you can do this and add those hours up to make a week. I did that for my small animal vet, a farm park as well as at cats protection. At uni I was allowed to do this on Wednesdays green pins in year 12 instead of sports!
You have cat experience so I’d say a kennel isn’t necessary as they like an animal from that group which in your case is cats. I didn’t get dairy so it’s not needed. Lambing is ideal if possible and would be in the ‘farm’ animal group. For equine riding schools often welcome the help. I just did 2 weeks at a local riding for my placement at uni!
You seem on track so far!
Original post by jasmineh0171
Hi!
I'm in Year 12 and studying Biology, Chemistry, Music and Geography, managed to book 11 days work experience at a wildlife hospital, but I've had no luck with small animal practices...
I'm in Year 12 and studying Biology, Chemistry, Music and Geography, managed to book 11 days work experience at a wildlife hospital, but I've had no luck with small animal practices...
Hey, I was wondering what kind of work experience you would recieve at a wildlife hospital? I have the opportunity to go to a zoo and work under the vet but I have no idea what exactly I'd be able to do. I want to have something in mind before I ask about shadowing the vet. If you have any idea, know anyone who does, or has seen threads about it, then I'd really appreciate it!
Original post by purgatory1732
Hey, I was wondering what kind of work experience you would recieve at a wildlife hospital? I have the opportunity to go to a zoo and work under the vet but I have no idea what exactly I'd be able to do. I want to have something in mind before I ask about shadowing the vet. If you have any idea, know anyone who does, or has seen threads about it, then I'd really appreciate it!
Hi! I’m a vet student and I did some volunteering at a wildlife hospital (British wildlife so not quite zoo level) before hand (after applying) and did a week as part of EMS for uni. So when I was volunteering it was cleaning cages, feeding animals occasionally giving fluids etc and was very husbandry based. The week as part of my degree (still technically a husbandry placement) I shadowed the vet the whole time. I went to a crocodile zoo for a husbandry placement and it was mainly making food, feeding, doing husbandry things like water and temperature checks. It’s very fun to do!
Original post by flamingolover
Hi! I’m a vet student and I did some volunteering at a wildlife hospital (British wildlife so not quite zoo level) before hand (after applying) and did a week as part of EMS for uni. So when I was volunteering it was cleaning cages, feeding animals occasionally giving fluids etc and was very husbandry based. The week as part of my degree (still technically a husbandry placement) I shadowed the vet the whole time. I went to a crocodile zoo for a husbandry placement and it was mainly making food, feeding, doing husbandry things like water and temperature checks. It’s very fun to do!
Oh wow, I knew there was a lot to do but I just didn't know what it was. Thank you
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by flamingolover
Hi! I’m a vet student and I did some volunteering at a wildlife hospital (British wildlife so not quite zoo level) before hand (after applying) and did a week as part of EMS for uni. So when I was volunteering it was cleaning cages, feeding animals occasionally giving fluids etc and was very husbandry based. The week as part of my degree (still technically a husbandry placement) I shadowed the vet the whole time. I went to a crocodile zoo for a husbandry placement and it was mainly making food, feeding, doing husbandry things like water and temperature checks. It’s very fun to do!
That sounds really interesting!!!
Original post by purgatory1732
Oh wow, I knew there was a lot to do but I just didn't know what it was. Thank you
No problem! It will be different in different places!
Original post by sciencelover37
That sounds really interesting!!!
It was!!
Do any of you have any in person friends that also want to go into Veterinary Medicine? I’m the only one in my year of about 150 people!
Original post by sciencelover37
Do any of you have any in person friends that also want to go into Veterinary Medicine? I’m the only one in my year of about 150 people!
I was the only person in my school who applied to vet med too 😂
Hi, (sorry a bit unrelated but could be useful for some of you too)
Do any of you know which unis are the hardest/easiest to get into for vet med? Obviously entry req grades are an indication but the course is so competitive anyway.
The ones I’m looking at are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge, RVC, Liverpool and Bristol. From my point of view the first 3 in my list appear the hardest to get into in equal measure. Can anyone else offer any insight? Is there such thing as a ‘safe choice’ for vet med?
Thanks
Do any of you know which unis are the hardest/easiest to get into for vet med? Obviously entry req grades are an indication but the course is so competitive anyway.
The ones I’m looking at are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge, RVC, Liverpool and Bristol. From my point of view the first 3 in my list appear the hardest to get into in equal measure. Can anyone else offer any insight? Is there such thing as a ‘safe choice’ for vet med?
Thanks
Original post by Wilson_2
Hi, (sorry a bit unrelated but could be useful for some of you too)
Do any of you know which unis are the hardest/easiest to get into for vet med? Obviously entry req grades are an indication but the course is so competitive anyway.
The ones I’m looking at are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge, RVC, Liverpool and Bristol. From my point of view the first 3 in my list appear the hardest to get into in equal measure. Can anyone else offer any insight? Is there such thing as a ‘safe choice’ for vet med?
Thanks
Do any of you know which unis are the hardest/easiest to get into for vet med? Obviously entry req grades are an indication but the course is so competitive anyway.
The ones I’m looking at are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge, RVC, Liverpool and Bristol. From my point of view the first 3 in my list appear the hardest to get into in equal measure. Can anyone else offer any insight? Is there such thing as a ‘safe choice’ for vet med?
Thanks
If you’re an English student then the Scottish ones are “harder” to get into as they have few places for English students compared to Scottish or international. There is no safe choice though, other than comparing stats that might be on the Vet School Council they are all pretty much the same difficulty to get into with about 10 applicants per spot who all meet minimum criteria. Make sure you meet all their criteria (including GCSEs and work experience), figure out your strengths and research their admissions statements to how they do things - e.g. Bristol doesn’t interview, Liverpool tend to interview everyone who reaches minimums and have near to no forms, Nottingham has a lot of different forms - figure out where your strengths lie and which ones you’d do best in. Do your research and work experience and prep well, and try your best is all you can really do. The first time I applied I got all rejections, the second time I only got an offer for Liverpool which is where I’m a first year now - the application process is tough but if you want it enough you’ll get there
People often get one offer out of the 4 and one is all you need, because they all look for different things, so again no one “safe choice” etc - I used to think Liverpool would be incredibly difficult to get into prior to my first application (and it certainly isn’t easy to get into) as it had highest work experience criteria but that’s the one offer I got - everyone wants different things.(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Wilson_2
Hi, (sorry a bit unrelated but could be useful for some of you too)
Do any of you know which unis are the hardest/easiest to get into for vet med? Obviously entry req grades are an indication but the course is so competitive anyway.
The ones I’m looking at are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge, RVC, Liverpool and Bristol. From my point of view the first 3 in my list appear the hardest to get into in equal measure. Can anyone else offer any insight? Is there such thing as a ‘safe choice’ for vet med?
Thanks
Do any of you know which unis are the hardest/easiest to get into for vet med? Obviously entry req grades are an indication but the course is so competitive anyway.
The ones I’m looking at are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge, RVC, Liverpool and Bristol. From my point of view the first 3 in my list appear the hardest to get into in equal measure. Can anyone else offer any insight? Is there such thing as a ‘safe choice’ for vet med?
Thanks
yes, probably not a great idea to apply to Glasgow or Edinburgh if you're an English student, I applied to both this year and got rejected pre-interview from both. I didn't know at the time of applying but the Scottish universities are harder to get into
Hi I'm in year 12, and plan to apply to vet med in 2023. How much work experience are you guys doing? Because i know for RVC the minimum is 140hrs but how much would a successful applicant generally have?
Original post by nostxlgic
yes, probably not a great idea to apply to Glasgow or Edinburgh if you're an English student, I applied to both this year and got rejected pre-interview from both. I didn't know at the time of applying but the Scottish universities are harder to get into
Sorry to hear that. Just out of interest, what subjects, grades and work experience were you applying with? Did you manage to get offers from your other two?
Original post by boomsicles48
Hi I'm in year 12, and plan to apply to vet med in 2023. How much work experience are you guys doing? Because i know for RVC the minimum is 140hrs but how much would a successful applicant generally have?
So far I have 70ish hours in practice and 30ish in non-clinical. I have a lot planned for the future though, so I'm hoping it'll pull me through. I know some people have a lot more.
Also done a lot of online but in my eyes hasn't added much value.
How about you?
Original post by boomsicles48
Hi I'm in year 12, and plan to apply to vet med in 2023. How much work experience are you guys doing? Because i know for RVC the minimum is 140hrs but how much would a successful applicant generally have?
Current first year but there is no 'generally' for a successful applicant - as long as you have the minimum you have a chance, which I know is annoying not getting a proper answer. I applied in the 2020 cycle pre covid and also 2021 in covid as I didn't get offers the first time, and obviously the requirements changed drastically in between those years - I had 4 weeks in the first cycle and 12 weeks in the second, however in the first cycle a lot of the applicants had at least 8 weeks (loads had more) and in the second a lot of people had barely any. The most important thing is that you know how to reflect on your work experience - doing more does show commitment, but if you get an amazing experience from doing varied 4 weeks then that will count above doing 20 weeks mindlessly. I do also think doing more though will also let you see more to reflect more on, but again quality over quantity. I think I didn't get int he first time partly because I didn't approach reflecting on work experience the right way - they don't care if you saw a really rare case or if you can do injections etc, they will teach you that at vet school in their way, but they care about what you learned from the work experience and why that will make you a good vet/vet student. Relate each particular experience to a 'good vet trait' like empathy, team work, communication skills, organisation, resilience etc, reflect on any challenges and how you overcame them etc. That will gave you a very good discussion and will prepare you for how to answer most questions about work experience well (as it is pretty guaranteed to come up) - even if they ask you 'what did you do for your work experience' you can expand the answer to include those traits. I think getting in most species groups (smalls, equine, farm) is best and to focus on species you may not be as familiar with - e.g. I did do 6 weeks with horses but I am already experienced with horses and so I wouldn't say I had that much to reflect on from that (but with covid it was difficult to find other placements and also there was less emphasis on it in the application process compared to normal) but I had more to reflect on from farm which I don't have personal links to.
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