Scared I don't have the talent for vet school

I always used to think that if I would work hard I could get whatever I wanted but I keep seeing people with A*A*A*, getting rejected because they dont have the "talent" vet unis are looking for in interviews. I am doing gap years right now but I want to apply for vet school with A*A*A but I worked hard for these grades. I found college hard if I didn't work hard for them, so I'm afraid I don't have a natural talent or am a genius so I can't get into vet schools with these grades. I have 400 hours of vet work experience for my application and the EPQ but because all the other applicants are so amazing I just think I will never get in on my first or second try. Is it true you need a natural talent and ability to get in or do some vet schools only look at grades and not interview? If so plz tell me what ones thanks. I want to go to any vet school at all plz

Reply 1

RambleAmple

Grades aren’t that important for vet school. You need to achieve the minimum which is normally AAB or AAA (check individual schools) plus GCSE requirements, but someone getting 3 A*s is not going to be placed higher than someone just getting the threshold. This is because while yes, it is an intense course and you probably do need a baseline of being academic to succeed, the biggest issues within the vet course and career is burn out or not having the right characteristics. The content is actually mostly difficult due to how much there is to remember, rather than being hard to understand - obviously some people will find some things harder than others but everything is logical to follow for the most part, not to mention most of the actual learning comes after graduation anyway on the job rather than from memorising lectures, so someone getting lots of A*s won’t necessarily make a better vet.

The “talent” and good qualities that vet school look for are things like very good communication skills, organisation, team working, determination, empathy etc. They can teach you anatomy and physiology, how to do procedures and drug calculations etc but they can’t teach you those personality things, say even though you’re an animal doctor you have to deal with their human owners all the time so some people don’t always realise you do actually need very good people skills for the job. Work experience is highly important because it makes you realise the realities of the career like this and also allows you to showcase that you have those qualities, so referring to it often in applicants and interviews is a good idea. Actually one thing they like is someone who has non-vet hobbies too because as I said burn out is a big thing - they don’t actually want you to live and breathe vet med, there’s no point only accepting people getting 3 A*s if they burn out and drop out in first year. This is a massive thing, our pass marks are 50% and getting any higher doesn’t mean anything but people still compare themselves to each other and feel awful if they don’t get higher - this is a thought process that students ideally need to stop or it gets too much easily when you’re surrounded by other bright people.

If you want a more grades focused school for applications, I believe Cambridge may look at them more, although my info isn’t that up to date. Bristol doesn’t interview but has forms instead. But all vet schools will have their own processes with extra question forms or situational judgement tests or different types of interviews. Choosing a process which suits you most is a good idea so maybe do a spreadsheet as there isn’t that many vet schools.

Reply 2

Apachecow

Please expand on the 400 hours and the variety of experience.

Do you have a part-time job?

Partner? Other interests? Societies? Spare time activities?

Reply 3

ailurophilemum

RambleAmple's reply should help you. To add... Think about those skills a vet student and eventually a vet will need. Then think about what you have learnt or the skills gained from your hard work at A levels and the work experience. It's like writing an essay at school. Point, example, explain. So for determination and resilience... Tell them you found aspects of your course really difficult. Then explain what you did to overcome that and gain the grades you did. Believe in yourself and accept who you are now. There will be people who will get better grades than you but it doesn't make them better vets or people. To do your best and ultimately get past that pass mark is your aim.
Go through the assessment criteria for each school very carefully. Then choose the ones that you think play to your strengths. At the end of the day the vet school chooses you and not everyone will be fortunate to get 2 or more offers to choose themselves. But you can be strategic in your application to give yourself the best chance on selling yourself. It's not a time to be modest! Good luck, you have the grades so in a great position already.

Reply 4

louisvbird

Universities Forum Helper

No one is a natural genius at medicine. Some people are lucky enough that throughout school they appear 'talented' and certain subjects come easily to them. But this fades at uni, where having simple aptitude for maths and science is no longer enough. The challenge isn't actually understanding difficult concepts - it's just trying to remember heaps of information all at once.

Veterinary medicine challenges you in many more ways than just academically: yes, some of the content we learn can be difficult. But we have to constantly refine our practical skills, our communication skills. We need to stay motivated entirely throughout each year, attending lectures 9-5 five days a week, and even during our holidays we have to maintain this enthusiasm when we are up at 4am (or earlier!) for unpaid farming placements. These are all things that being naturally smart can't actually help you with.

Therefore, ability to handle this is what the universities are looking for during the application process. Yes, you need decent grades to be able to understand the content, which is why they ask for certain grades. But most importantly you need the determination to persist with the course while juggling all the things I mentioned above. Therefore, the universities may turn people down who have A*A*A* grades because they didn't feel that the applicant had a realistic view of what being a vet student (and eventually a veterinary surgeon) actually entailed.

I hope this gives you some peace of mind that 'talented' students don't actually exist in veterinary medicine.

If you have good grades, you should focus on researching the profession and making sure you have done enough relevant work experience that you understand what being a vet really entails. I personally recommend 2+ weeks in veterinary clinics and 2+ weeks lambing/dairy farming.
Getting into vet school is more than just grades, it's about proving you understand what you're taking on and showing that you can handle it.
You also can make yourself stand out - did you do your EPQ on a veterinary/animal topic? This would be a great thing to write about in your personal statement. :smile: