Applying to Veterinary Medicine with ABB

Thank you for replying! I have been ringing around a few universities to ask about gateway courses and it seems like my grades are "too good" to get onto a gateway course (plus I don't seem to fill any of the other requirements) and yet not good enough to get onto the normal vet course. :/

There's no such thing as 'too good' for a Gateway course. I don't have a clue where this idea came from. There are no 'maximum' entry requirements. It's the same as other courses, as long as you meet the minimum it's fine. You could get into Gateway at the RVC on CCC or A*A*A*. The minimum requirements are lower because they consider socioeconomic factors. It's nothing to do with being 'good' or not. Gateway's not lesser than the 5 year course.

Anyway, there are still some options that could potentially get you onto a vet course without retaking. This could include applying as a graduate. Some universities, such as the RVC and Edinburgh, offer 4-year 'accelerated' courses for people who already have a relevant degree. Make sure you do your research into this, however, as this route is just as competitive as the 5-year course, and to my knowledge they may still look at your A Levels. It's also worth noting that graduate fees can reach £29k/year.

Alternatively, you can apply to study abroad. Vet schools such as Kosice, Warsaw, and Brno teach the entire course in English, and have an entrance exams rather than demanding specific grades.

Another option, of course, would just be to resit. I appreciate that this isn't what you want to do, but it would probably be a lot cheaper than some of the other methods mentioned here, and if what I would do in your position.

That is brilliant, thank you for your advice! I have been doing lots of research into what route is the most feasible for me. The reason I wasn't going to resit is because I have actually already had to resit some of my A Level exams already due to the fact I was really ill whilst studying for them and from what I can see most of the vet schools will only accept one resit.

I resat a whole year due to illness and was considered NOT to be a resit student. You would need to have documented evidence of being ill for a significant period of time and I would advise your referee mention this as the reason for resitting.
Of course if you are now resitting when you're healthy then you will be considered a resit applicant!

Thank you for your advice, unfortunately I don't know whether I would be able to get documented evidence of being ill. It was/is a mental illness that I have suffered from and so evidence is kind of hard to produce (other than the medications I was on?). Also, I sat my A-Levels two years ago now, and the courses have changed since then so I don't even know if it would still be possible to resit them!

What a mess! It's kind of looking like post-grad is my only option!