Anyone done Biovet Science at UCLan - any thoughts?

My daughter thinks she want to do Vet Met, but its a tough decision to make at 16

Looking at alternative Under Graduate options, UCLan do a 2 year BioVet Science programme that seems like a nice compromise - it could be a nice foundation to then (possibly) head in to Vet Med proper or it could help take you in a different direction working with animals

thoughts?

Reply 1

RambleAmple

I’m not sure on the ins and outs of that course but if the vet degree would be then counted as a second degree then your daughter won’t be eligible for a tuition fee loan, so would have to pay the £9250 a year out of pocket with not much time to work during the course. She will get a maintenance loan still but considering 4.5k is around the minimum and she would still need to pay rent, food and generally live that can complicate things. You also don’t want her to burn herself out by adding extra years of education on, 5 years on an intense course is more than long enough for me and I wouldn’t have wanted to do any extra things beforehand if I didn’t need to. There is also no guarantee she’d be able to get onto the vet course after either so it’s a big risk imo unless she could be satisfied by a different animal related career.

Tbh at 16 I would just make her prepare for the vet application as normal with doing all the work experience which should help guide her decisions, and she can decide once she’s in year 13 if that’s actually wants to do. From your previous posts she is more than academically competent to apply, so if she wants to do it, why discourage her? I understand looking at alternatives just in case but I’d use them as backups for if she didn’t manage to get in or changed her mind along the way rather than pushing her towards them as a first choice. I know my parents and some teachers tried to discourage me from doing vet med because while I was bright they didn’t think I was bright enough, and that’s messed with me a bit over the years especially because I haven’t even done badly at vet school so far so you don’t need to be an all 9s all A*s student. I’d just support whatever she wants to do, proper work experience will either put her off or seal the deal. The first couple posts on my blog here I’ve summarised some information I get asked on a lot that may be helpful to read for potential applicants.

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 2

louisvbird

Universities Forum Helper

Most people (including vet students) struggled to pick their career at age 16. Ultimately, she doesn't have to choose yet. If she thinks she wants to be a vet, presumably she enjoys the science subjects. So she should study Bio, Chem and one other A Level. Then in Year 13 she can make the decision to apply to Veterinary Science if she chooses, or something else entirely! Bio and Chem are quite versatile A Levels, so she can use them to apply to a wide range of choices should she change her mind.

In Year 12, she should undertake at least a week of work experience in a veterinary clinic. If she enjoys it, then keep undertaking more until she meets the entry requirements (or take a gap year to undertake more work experience as you suggested in your other post).
Edit: and if she doesn't like it, well then she knows to apply to something else the following year, and to not waste her time doing more work experience or a gap year!

Don't stress about making a huge life decision now. :smile: