What is my best path into vet med
Hi, so I really would like to get into vet medicine and I have been passionate about this degree for my whole life I've been surrounded by horses/ other animals, and what really spiked my drive to be a vet was the amazing treatment that my horse got when it had to have colic surgery just under a year ago
However, I don't know what my best route is. I really struggled over covid and got GCSES of 7 in bio and 7 in Chem however this meant that my school wouldn't let me do chem or bio at a level because I didn't get an 8 in both which was their requirement. So I ended up doing Business, Politics, and Religious Studies and I am finding out my results on Thursday hopefully sitting around the A*AA range. I was wondering what the best way is to get into vet med because I understand that I would need Bio and Chem A level and I don't qualify for any contextual pathways. So is my best way to access a vet doing bio and chem over a year or two? or is there a course that is designed for people in my situation or do I try doing a degree in pol+IR which I have an offer for at Bath and then trying vet postgrad. I won't have any funding issues for home fees because my parents have agreed to assist me.
Any help would be appreciated!
However, I don't know what my best route is. I really struggled over covid and got GCSES of 7 in bio and 7 in Chem however this meant that my school wouldn't let me do chem or bio at a level because I didn't get an 8 in both which was their requirement. So I ended up doing Business, Politics, and Religious Studies and I am finding out my results on Thursday hopefully sitting around the A*AA range. I was wondering what the best way is to get into vet med because I understand that I would need Bio and Chem A level and I don't qualify for any contextual pathways. So is my best way to access a vet doing bio and chem over a year or two? or is there a course that is designed for people in my situation or do I try doing a degree in pol+IR which I have an offer for at Bath and then trying vet postgrad. I won't have any funding issues for home fees because my parents have agreed to assist me.
Any help would be appreciated!
(edited 8 months ago)
From where you are at current, it sounds like the quickest route into veterinary would be as you suggest; to take a gap year to study the prerequisite A-level subjects (most likely as an independent/external candidate). This would also give you more time to focus on other aspects of your application, i.e. work experience. It sounds like your desire to pursue veterinary is a relatively recent development, which is fine, however the application process is competitive and you'll need to show that you have at least some exposure to the realities of the industry. Your equestrian connections are probably a good place to start with this, but I would advise trying to get several weeks of experience across a mix of both clinical and husbandry placements; e.g. stables, dairy farms, kennels, labs etc.
Regarding pursuing international relations; just be aware that universities may not accept this for admittance via the postgraduate (i.e. four year rather than five year) veterinary course. Check the websites of each respective vet school but they will almost certainly ask for a science based degree rather than humanities. Be aware as well that the postgrad route remains highly competitive and even people who have veterinary adjacent courses as their undergrad degree (e.g. bio veterinary sciences) still often only gain entry to the five year course.
Regarding finances, it's great that your family have made these preparations for you but if veterinary is truly what you want to pursue then taking a year out now and not doing vet med as a postgrad degree remains an infinitely better option financially. As you will be aware there is no government funding/loans for those pursuing vet as a second degree, and while I'm happy for you that this is not a concern, I'm sure the funds could be better spent on something else in future (e.g. mortgage... which I appreciate may be low priority now but future you might thank you!)
Hope that helps. Best of luck for results day and whatever option you choose
Regarding pursuing international relations; just be aware that universities may not accept this for admittance via the postgraduate (i.e. four year rather than five year) veterinary course. Check the websites of each respective vet school but they will almost certainly ask for a science based degree rather than humanities. Be aware as well that the postgrad route remains highly competitive and even people who have veterinary adjacent courses as their undergrad degree (e.g. bio veterinary sciences) still often only gain entry to the five year course.
Regarding finances, it's great that your family have made these preparations for you but if veterinary is truly what you want to pursue then taking a year out now and not doing vet med as a postgrad degree remains an infinitely better option financially. As you will be aware there is no government funding/loans for those pursuing vet as a second degree, and while I'm happy for you that this is not a concern, I'm sure the funds could be better spent on something else in future (e.g. mortgage... which I appreciate may be low priority now but future you might thank you!)
Hope that helps. Best of luck for results day and whatever option you choose
Original post by Little Tail Chaser
From where you are at current, it sounds like the quickest route into veterinary would be as you suggest; to take a gap year to study the prerequisite A-level subjects (most likely as an independent/external candidate). This would also give you more time to focus on other aspects of your application, i.e. work experience. It sounds like your desire to pursue veterinary is a relatively recent development, which is fine, however the application process is competitive and you'll need to show that you have at least some exposure to the realities of the industry. Your equestrian connections are probably a good place to start with this, but I would advise trying to get several weeks of experience across a mix of both clinical and husbandry placements; e.g. stables, dairy farms, kennels, labs etc.
Regarding pursuing international relations; just be aware that universities may not accept this for admittance via the postgraduate (i.e. four year rather than five year) veterinary course. Check the websites of each respective vet school but they will almost certainly ask for a science based degree rather than humanities. Be aware as well that the postgrad route remains highly competitive and even people who have veterinary adjacent courses as their undergrad degree (e.g. bio veterinary sciences) still often only gain entry to the five year course.
Regarding finances, it's great that your family have made these preparations for you but if veterinary is truly what you want to pursue then taking a year out now and not doing vet med as a postgrad degree remains an infinitely better option financially. As you will be aware there is no government funding/loans for those pursuing vet as a second degree, and while I'm happy for you that this is not a concern, I'm sure the funds could be better spent on something else in future (e.g. mortgage... which I appreciate may be low priority now but future you might thank you!)
Hope that helps. Best of luck for results day and whatever option you choose
Regarding pursuing international relations; just be aware that universities may not accept this for admittance via the postgraduate (i.e. four year rather than five year) veterinary course. Check the websites of each respective vet school but they will almost certainly ask for a science based degree rather than humanities. Be aware as well that the postgrad route remains highly competitive and even people who have veterinary adjacent courses as their undergrad degree (e.g. bio veterinary sciences) still often only gain entry to the five year course.
Regarding finances, it's great that your family have made these preparations for you but if veterinary is truly what you want to pursue then taking a year out now and not doing vet med as a postgrad degree remains an infinitely better option financially. As you will be aware there is no government funding/loans for those pursuing vet as a second degree, and while I'm happy for you that this is not a concern, I'm sure the funds could be better spent on something else in future (e.g. mortgage... which I appreciate may be low priority now but future you might thank you!)
Hope that helps. Best of luck for results day and whatever option you choose
I'm due to start human Medicine this year, so don't know a huge amount about the vet type (though I did briefly date a student vet nurse!).
From the comment about funding, it sounds like A levels in chem & bio are the best bet, however I should raise the possibility of an access course (having done both an access course, a bachelors, and a further set of science AS levels as an external candidate).
RVC appears to accept access courses, as long as it's been 3 years since you left education (which I know may make this less appealing). However, it's significantly cheaper. A levels with practical components are ~£1000-1200 per subject, more if you do AS as well. An Access course is ~£1000.
I did an Access in ~6 months (though that was hard work - they estimated a year and told me 6 months wasn't realistic). I think 2 A levels is a year absolute minimum, but realistically most likely 1.5 years. I also found the Access course prepared me far better for uni. I learnt essay writing skills, harvard referencing, statistical analysis, some of which weren't even covered at degree level. I'd strongly recommend it, but appreciate the 3 year gap in education may not make sense if you're able to fund it (though you could use the time getting some veterinary experience and helping confirm that it's what you want to do, as well as boosting your PS/interviews). I'd certainly avoid doing graduate entry.
(edited 8 months ago)
Great advice above.
Most of the vet schools will accept a 2:1 if you already have a degree, however this almost always needs to be a science/zoology/similar degree. My vet school friends who have degrees in a non-science subject needed to complete Bio & Chem A Levels or an Access Course in combination with their degree in order to apply.
It's great that you can afford the graduate route as a back up, however it's actually more competitive than the traditional route of A Levels, so you may not even get in this way. In your case as well, you probably would need to do A Levels in combination with your Pol+IR degree, so you may as well just do the A Levels first and try to get in without a degree. It's also going to be quicker this way, and then your parents will have more money saved for your future!
As mentioned above as well, a gap year is a great way to do the necessary work experience to apply for vet and you will be less pressed for time than other applicants so you could prepare a really well-rounded application. If I were you, I would start by getting some work experience in a vet clinic, so you can see that you enjoy it before you make any permanent decisions regarding your future studies.
Hope this helps. Let us know on the forum if you have any further questions.
Most of the vet schools will accept a 2:1 if you already have a degree, however this almost always needs to be a science/zoology/similar degree. My vet school friends who have degrees in a non-science subject needed to complete Bio & Chem A Levels or an Access Course in combination with their degree in order to apply.
It's great that you can afford the graduate route as a back up, however it's actually more competitive than the traditional route of A Levels, so you may not even get in this way. In your case as well, you probably would need to do A Levels in combination with your Pol+IR degree, so you may as well just do the A Levels first and try to get in without a degree. It's also going to be quicker this way, and then your parents will have more money saved for your future!
As mentioned above as well, a gap year is a great way to do the necessary work experience to apply for vet and you will be less pressed for time than other applicants so you could prepare a really well-rounded application. If I were you, I would start by getting some work experience in a vet clinic, so you can see that you enjoy it before you make any permanent decisions regarding your future studies.
Hope this helps. Let us know on the forum if you have any further questions.
Original post by user123456324
Hi, so I really would like to get into vet medicine and I have been passionate about this degree for my whole life I've been surrounded by horses/ other animals, and what really spiked my drive to be a vet was the amazing treatment that my horse got when it had to have colic surgery just under a year ago
However, I don't know what my best route is. I really struggled over covid and got GCSES of 7 in bio and 7 in Chem however this meant that my school wouldn't let me do chem or bio at a level because I didn't get an 8 in both which was their requirement. So I ended up doing Business, Politics, and Religious Studies and I am finding out my results on Thursday hopefully sitting around the A*AA range. I was wondering what the best way is to get into vet med because I understand that I would need Bio and Chem A level and I don't qualify for any contextual pathways. So is my best way to access a vet doing bio and chem over a year or two? or is there a course that is designed for people in my situation or do I try doing a degree in pol+IR which I have an offer for at Bath and then trying vet postgrad. I won't have any funding issues for home fees because my parents have agreed to assist me.
Any help would be appreciated!
However, I don't know what my best route is. I really struggled over covid and got GCSES of 7 in bio and 7 in Chem however this meant that my school wouldn't let me do chem or bio at a level because I didn't get an 8 in both which was their requirement. So I ended up doing Business, Politics, and Religious Studies and I am finding out my results on Thursday hopefully sitting around the A*AA range. I was wondering what the best way is to get into vet med because I understand that I would need Bio and Chem A level and I don't qualify for any contextual pathways. So is my best way to access a vet doing bio and chem over a year or two? or is there a course that is designed for people in my situation or do I try doing a degree in pol+IR which I have an offer for at Bath and then trying vet postgrad. I won't have any funding issues for home fees because my parents have agreed to assist me.
Any help would be appreciated!
Have you looked at some of the Gateway courses? Nottingham did, but may no longer so check, consider good students having taken the wrong subject combination at A level. If accepted the course is six years rather than five and covers the essential science courses in the first year. It is however very competitive and doing the correct A levels would undoubtedly give you a greater choice of schools, but it is something to consider.
Whatever you choose I recommend that you get as much work experience as possible before applying.
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