Applying for undergraduate vet med after doing an MSc?
Hi! I’ve wanted to study veterinary medicine for years however originally I didn’t get the grades so I did a Zoology BSc and got a first, so went on to do an MSc in Animal Welfare, Behaviour, Ethics and Law. I still really want to go into a veterinary career and I have the opportunity to apply for a veterinary medicine undergraduate degree. I am extremely passionate about pretty much every area involved in a veterinary degree, but I’ve noticed that everyone in the applications thread is younger than me (I’m 24) and has waaaay more animal experience and farm animal experience than I have as I wasn’t lucky enough to find volunteering opportunities during school etc. is it worth me applying? Would I even get considered if I still don’t have the GCSEs/A levels even though I have a first class BSc? I’m just worried I’ll get rejected because I don’t have the practical experience and everyone else seems to
Original post by itsablandlife
Hi! I’ve wanted to study veterinary medicine for years however originally I didn’t get the grades so I did a Zoology BSc and got a first, so went on to do an MSc in Animal Welfare, Behaviour, Ethics and Law. I still really want to go into a veterinary career and I have the opportunity to apply for a veterinary medicine undergraduate degree. I am extremely passionate about pretty much every area involved in a veterinary degree, but I’ve noticed that everyone in the applications thread is younger than me (I’m 24) and has waaaay more animal experience and farm animal experience than I have as I wasn’t lucky enough to find volunteering opportunities during school etc. is it worth me applying? Would I even get considered if I still don’t have the GCSEs/A levels even though I have a first class BSc? I’m just worried I’ll get rejected because I don’t have the practical experience and everyone else seems to
For the GCSE’s and A levels I advise you contact the admissions teams for vet at all the schools by email NOW. It’s relatively calm for them at the moment as the application round has finished and until results come out in a couple of weeks, things are less stressful.
As for work experience, you will have to have the minimum required for each school, otherwise it’s a direct rejection. They say that more than this doesn’t give an advantage in the decision making process which is true and false. Just having more won’t bring points, especially if the candidate hasn’t made the effort to participate and get something out of the experience, but obviously the more a candidate is exposed to an animal handling environment, the more they will potentially have to talk about at interview.
Given your degree and Msc, as long as you have the minimum experience required in a clinic, on a farm , stables or animal refuge and have done the MOOC I’m sure that you have as good a chance as anyone else.
P.S M’y daughter is going into her 3rd year of vet med and there are people in their thirties, forties and even fifties in her year group. So 24 makes you a youngster!!
(edited 9 months ago)
Great advice above.
Don't worry about your age, there are several people on my course in their 30s and 40s. So being in your 20s you hardly stand out!
To be blunt, if you apply without meeting the entry requirements and the work experience requirements, you will be rejected, regardless of degree/other things you have. There are 11+ applicants per place for some courses, and most of these will far exceed the minimum requirements - basically, the vet schools can afford to be as picky as they like, and they won't consider anyone not meeting these.
If you go on each vet school's entry requirements page you will be able to find out if your degree alone is enough or if you need GCSEs and A Levels in addition. One example: Nottingham require a 2:1 alongside A Level Biology and Chemistry B grades, and a B and C in Maths and English GCSE, respectively. This information is freely accessible online. Contact admissions if you have any further questions about entry requirements.
You also will need to undertake work experience in both a clinic environment and an animal husbandry placement, as doing this is also part of the entry requirements. Again, the requirements vary by vet school so you will need to research what your preferred vet schools want you to have completed.
Some universities are accepting the MOOC in lieu of clinic experience, but honestly you would be at a disadvantage without this. Almost every one of your competitors will have done clinic work, and it is a huge advantage at the interview stage (and personal statement) if you can talk about your veterinary experiences. You've said you're passionate about veterinary medicine, but how can you be sure if you've not tried it yet?
Additionally, veterinary medicine has a huge drop-out rate and terrible mental health rate. Both on the course, as well as once we have graduated. I heard recently apparently new grads are lasting 6 years in the profession before leaving it. I'm not trying to put you off, but rather just emphasise how important it is that you do some work experience to ensure that this is the career for you and you know what you're getting into! It's not how a lot of people expect it to be.
Your previous degree experience and relevant Masters will really be useful to you when you apply as you can bring some life experience and broader knowledge to the profession and you could talk about this during interview and personal statement writing. However, you do need to meet the minimum requirements first before you can use all your extra stuff!
If you need any further advice let us know. Good luck on your journey.
Don't worry about your age, there are several people on my course in their 30s and 40s. So being in your 20s you hardly stand out!
To be blunt, if you apply without meeting the entry requirements and the work experience requirements, you will be rejected, regardless of degree/other things you have. There are 11+ applicants per place for some courses, and most of these will far exceed the minimum requirements - basically, the vet schools can afford to be as picky as they like, and they won't consider anyone not meeting these.
If you go on each vet school's entry requirements page you will be able to find out if your degree alone is enough or if you need GCSEs and A Levels in addition. One example: Nottingham require a 2:1 alongside A Level Biology and Chemistry B grades, and a B and C in Maths and English GCSE, respectively. This information is freely accessible online. Contact admissions if you have any further questions about entry requirements.
You also will need to undertake work experience in both a clinic environment and an animal husbandry placement, as doing this is also part of the entry requirements. Again, the requirements vary by vet school so you will need to research what your preferred vet schools want you to have completed.
Some universities are accepting the MOOC in lieu of clinic experience, but honestly you would be at a disadvantage without this. Almost every one of your competitors will have done clinic work, and it is a huge advantage at the interview stage (and personal statement) if you can talk about your veterinary experiences. You've said you're passionate about veterinary medicine, but how can you be sure if you've not tried it yet?
Additionally, veterinary medicine has a huge drop-out rate and terrible mental health rate. Both on the course, as well as once we have graduated. I heard recently apparently new grads are lasting 6 years in the profession before leaving it. I'm not trying to put you off, but rather just emphasise how important it is that you do some work experience to ensure that this is the career for you and you know what you're getting into! It's not how a lot of people expect it to be.
Your previous degree experience and relevant Masters will really be useful to you when you apply as you can bring some life experience and broader knowledge to the profession and you could talk about this during interview and personal statement writing. However, you do need to meet the minimum requirements first before you can use all your extra stuff!
If you need any further advice let us know. Good luck on your journey.
Thank you guys so much for your advice! I really appreciate it.
I have previously volunteered weekly for two years at an animal shelter and I have mentioned this in my personal statement especially as I helped in the vet room. I have also completed some online CPD courses for veterinary assistant etc which provided a lot of information and video tutorials etc. Do you think this may be enough? I’ve been looking at UCLAN and they don’t have any specific work experience requirements that I’ve seen so im unsure if direct clinical experience is needed.
I have previously volunteered weekly for two years at an animal shelter and I have mentioned this in my personal statement especially as I helped in the vet room. I have also completed some online CPD courses for veterinary assistant etc which provided a lot of information and video tutorials etc. Do you think this may be enough? I’ve been looking at UCLAN and they don’t have any specific work experience requirements that I’ve seen so im unsure if direct clinical experience is needed.
Original post by itsablandlife
Thank you guys so much for your advice! I really appreciate it.
I have previously volunteered weekly for two years at an animal shelter and I have mentioned this in my personal statement especially as I helped in the vet room. I have also completed some online CPD courses for veterinary assistant etc which provided a lot of information and video tutorials etc. Do you think this may be enough? I’ve been looking at UCLAN and they don’t have any specific work experience requirements that I’ve seen so im unsure if direct clinical experience is needed.
I have previously volunteered weekly for two years at an animal shelter and I have mentioned this in my personal statement especially as I helped in the vet room. I have also completed some online CPD courses for veterinary assistant etc which provided a lot of information and video tutorials etc. Do you think this may be enough? I’ve been looking at UCLAN and they don’t have any specific work experience requirements that I’ve seen so im unsure if direct clinical experience is needed.
Each school has its own specific requirements that you’ll find in their admissions statements. Below I’ve given the documents concerning Bristol, Liverpool and Nottingham, but they are all easily available online. These are only the MINIMUM, so if you don’t fulfill a school’s requirements, then don’t apply there. It would result in an immediate rejection as they have a huge number of applicants that will fulfill them.
Although the videos for veterinary assistants are interesting, the role of an assistant is very different. You could maybe use the experience to say why you have chosen veterinary medicine / science rather than veterinary nursing.
Bristol doesn’t require anything over and above the MOOC, but to be honest I wouldn’t advise applying without at least some clinical experience and farm/ stable work. The reality of the job is not at all what most people imagine, and if you haven’t any livestock experience the reality of placements for lambing, dairy etc is going to be a shock. ( long hours, wet, cold, poor accommodation, and sometimes very grumpy farmers when things out of your control haven’t gone well)
You still have more than 2 months to get some more experience so I recommend that you try to get as much as you can. If phone calls and mails don’t open any doors, then just turn up and ask. Stables and riding schools are always looking for an extra pair of hands and if you can’t get dairy cattle then try goats or an equivalent. If there aren’t any in your area, then maybe you can sleep on a friends couch or be put up by the farmer. If you get a place you’ll have to find your own placements most of the time, so might as well start creating contacts now.
Wishing you the best of luck.
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2023/veterinary-science.pdf
https://www.theukcatpeople.co.uk/guide/vet-school/veterinary/university-of-liverpool
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vet/study-with-us/undergraduate/how-to-apply.aspx#:~:text=Information%20is%20requested%20to%20identify,5%20weeks%20of%20work%20experience.
Original post by itsablandlife
Thank you guys so much for your advice! I really appreciate it.
I have previously volunteered weekly for two years at an animal shelter and I have mentioned this in my personal statement especially as I helped in the vet room. I have also completed some online CPD courses for veterinary assistant etc which provided a lot of information and video tutorials etc. Do you think this may be enough? I’ve been looking at UCLAN and they don’t have any specific work experience requirements that I’ve seen so im unsure if direct clinical experience is needed.
I have previously volunteered weekly for two years at an animal shelter and I have mentioned this in my personal statement especially as I helped in the vet room. I have also completed some online CPD courses for veterinary assistant etc which provided a lot of information and video tutorials etc. Do you think this may be enough? I’ve been looking at UCLAN and they don’t have any specific work experience requirements that I’ve seen so im unsure if direct clinical experience is needed.
For most vet schools the volunteering must be recent - last I checked, RVC stated within 18 months prior to application time. Check the vet schools you're interested in to ensure your volunteering will count.
If you do not meet the work experience requirements, you will not be considered. It's quite straightforward. CPD does not count, unfortunately. It might be interesting to talk about at interview, but you will need to thoroughly understand the difference between a vet, a nurse and an assistant. One of the common interview questions is along the lines of, "why not be a vet nurse instead?" and you will be expected to have a great reason as to why veterinary surgeon is the right career for you, and not an assistant, nurse or other animal-related job.
UCLAN may not specifically require veterinary experience, but almost every other applicant will have it. Competition is so fierce I would really advise you to do some. Just because you will be considered without it, does not mean you are likely to get a place. My friends who have been offered places at UCLAN all had undertaken clinical work exp.
Veterinary medicine is a highly practical course, so you need to demonstrate you have some ability in this regard. Doing this work experience will not only make you a more competitive applicant, but also give you stuff to talk about at interview. How can you prove to the vet school you fully understand the role of a vet and why you would be a good one, if you've never shadowed one?
Additionally, it's highly advisable to apply to more than one university; competition for all vet schools is intense (as I said earlier, it can exceed 11+ applicants per place), and many people who apply to the maximum of four unis still get rejected, even great applicants with stellar grades. Unfortunately, I know a student who got rejected who had straight As and A*s at GCSE and A Level, and more than 4 months of work experience. Therefore, I would advise against only applying to UCLAN in order to avoid doing work experience as it's kind of like putting all your eggs in one basket.
Additionally, if you're thinking of applying to some of the graduate courses, these tend to have even higher competition than undergrad.
All of us had to do work exp, and you still have a couple months before it's time to apply. I would seriously get emailing and ringing some local vet practices to see if they can have you, even for just a week. It will drastically improve your chances of getting in to vet school.
I would be interested to know if anyone has managed to get a place at vet school (aside from during covid) without doing any clinical experience - I've personally never heard of this before.
There are some stickied threads on this forum that explain the application and work experience process in great detail, you should definitely refer to these are they are amazing and hopefully can give you some insight as to what to expect as a veterinary applicant. I attribute my success at getting into vet school to these threads lol.
Hope this helps.
Edit: you may also need a reference from the animal shelter, depending on which vet schools you're applying to (some require it).
(edited 9 months ago)
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