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2018 Veterinary applicants

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Original post by Canine Copycat
I've found equine placements to be a good way to get how much you have up quite quickly (does that make sense?!) because often especially at the weekend, riding schools etc could really do with an extra pair of hand and you might be able to get a long term placement doing every Saturday, for example, at a riding school - over 6 months that would become a further 5 weeks just doing 1 day a week (5 days in a week or 40 hours).

Just a thought but that's what worked for me!


Thanks for that as I'm interested in working with large animals.
Going to see.if I can start soon. just gotta deal with the cold.
Original post by VictiniCup
Thanks for that as I'm interested in working with large animals.


Yeah in general large animal work is really good fun (farms and riding schools and when I did WEX in a zoo that was amazing too!) but don't forget that the universities are expecting to see evidence of experience with all sorts of animals so some time in a rescue or kennels will also be beneficial (and really good fun too!!)

Haha yeah but when you're working hard you get warm 😂!!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by VictiniCup
For work experience I have:
2 days in a lab
1 week at a vets

Planning:
Equine
Kennels
Large animal practice


You should also add some farming to your plans. Some people will likely disagree but I've always found vet schools to be particualrly keen on farm experience. One of the easiest ways to get farm experience is through lambing, and the National Sheep association list is now up:
http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/next-generation/jobs-work-experience/lambing-experience/

some of these placements will be over 2 weeks, but if you get in touch with them (best to ring), they will most likely accommodate you for a 1-2 week placement at Easter. People have also found a lot of success with city farms (especially people living in London or Birmingham) and I myself did a petting farm (but that was mainly experience with exotics rather than actual production animals :tongue:)
Not sure whether it would be best to take a gap year or not to do.work experience? Only have AS maths this year.
Original post by VictiniCup
For work experience I have:
2 days in a lab
1 week at a vets

Planning:
Equine
Kennels
Large animal practice


You'll need more for liverpool. There are applicants who get interviews with the minimum 10 weeks but most applicants have 21+ weeks. It's always worth taking a gap year and doing some more if you have your heart set on being able to apply to liverpool


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Original post by VictiniCup
Not sure whether it would be best to take a gap year or not to do.work experience? Only have AS maths this year.


Have you had chance to actually look round any of the unis you want to apply to? This would be the best way of deciding if Liverpool is for you or not. If you decide to apply there a gap year is your best bet. For your other choices I believe it's
RVC, Glasgow, Surrey ~6 weeks
Cambridge & Edinburgh- not sure if Edinburgh have changed but when I was looking at applying there there was no specific amount needed but they asked for 'a wide variety'. Same for Cam I think. I would still aim for 6-10 weeks though, but if you aim for variety the quantity will soon add up.
Don't do work experience to the detriment of your college work- it is much easier to take a gap year for WEX than have to resit a year at college. You can still apply to most vet schools if that happens, but it limits where you can apply and it's a lot more stressful! :tongue:
Original post by VictiniCup
For work experience I have:
2 days in a lab
1 week at a vets

Planning:
Equine
Kennels
Large animal practice


Hey! Just to clarify the requirements for Cambridge - they only require 2 weeks, and whilst more this can be really useful, they really just care about how much you get from your work experience, rather than it being a tick-box exercise! The mindset is very much it's much better to have had 2 weeks where you've got stuck in, really thought about what's going on and learnt a lot from it, than to have done 20 weeks where you've just stood in the corner/mucked out/not really engaged with it. Also, having a couple of days in a lab is quite unusual experience, well done for getting that, I'm sure vet schools will like that, as being in labs is a big part of being a vet (and vet student)!

If you have any more questions about Cambridge feel free to ask - I'm a 4th year there at the moment :smile:
Original post by laser174572
Hey! Just to clarify the requirements for Cambridge - they only require 2 weeks, and whilst more this can be really useful, they really just care about how much you get from your work experience, rather than it being a tick-box exercise! The mindset is very much it's much better to have had 2 weeks where you've got stuck in, really thought about what's going on and learnt a lot from it, than to have done 20 weeks where you've just stood in the corner/mucked out/not really engaged with it. Also, having a couple of days in a lab is quite unusual experience, well done for getting that, I'm sure vet schools will like that, as being in labs is a big part of being a vet (and vet student)!

If you have any more questions about Cambridge feel free to ask - I'm a 4th year there at the moment :smile:


Hey! (Its me again - hoping to get into Cambridge.)

I have just done some mock MMI interviews this week and thought I did quite well (I get feedback next week) and so I was just wondering if you could tell me if it is likely that I get asked a famous Oxbridge question which are seemingly random. Also, since Cambridge wants quality over quantity with WEX, how far in depth should my questioning be? I mostly ask general questions and about why certain drugs or used etc (mostly focusing on pharmacology and pharmocodynamics because I think that the best vets have thw thorough understanding of this area! (and also its very interesting!)) And so will they ask me specific questions about specific drugs or give me case studies from vet practise and ask me what I would do etc? Unless I have stated something about learning this in my PS.

Btw sorry if this doesnt make much sense!

Thank you very much for all your time :smile:
Original post by Anderson2727
Hey! (Its me again - hoping to get into Cambridge.)

I have just done some mock MMI interviews this week and thought I did quite well (I get feedback next week) and so I was just wondering if you could tell me if it is likely that I get asked a famous Oxbridge question which are seemingly random. Also, since Cambridge wants quality over quantity with WEX, how far in depth should my questioning be? I mostly ask general questions and about why certain drugs or used etc (mostly focusing on pharmacology and pharmocodynamics because I think that the best vets have thw thorough understanding of this area! (and also its very interesting!)) And so will they ask me specific questions about specific drugs or give me case studies from vet practise and ask me what I would do etc? Unless I have stated something about learning this in my PS.

Btw sorry if this doesnt make much sense!

Thank you very much for all your time :smile:


You really needn't go over the top with questioning vets, the questions you're asking sound more than sufficient. What will, perhaps, be of greater use is to consider ethical issues you have seen whilst on wex and how you would approach these, and also to show that after seeing something at the vets you have then gone away and researched it more to get a better understanding of that case.

Keep in mind that the Cambridge interview system isn't MMI, instead it's (usually!) two 20 minute interviews, each with two academics; and relatively little of that time is going to be spent discussing work experience, for me I think I got asked pretty general questions about the most interesting case I had seen and we discussed that for a few minutes, more so they could see that I had actually taken in what was going on then any in depth level of quizzing. The interviews focus more on seeing how you think and respond to constructive input - you'll most likely be presented with problems or material which you're unfamiliar with and won't just 'know the answer' to, and then they will help you work through what they give you. These will more likely be general science questions, rather than something specifically veterinary, so the main thing is to make sure you have a solid grasp of your A-level/equivalent courses that you have studied so far, or if they are specifically veterinary you should be able to work them out from 'first principles'. Hope that makes things a bit clearer, let me know if not!
Original post by laser174572
You really needn't go over the top with questioning vets, the questions you're asking sound more than sufficient. What will, perhaps, be of greater use is to consider ethical issues you have seen whilst on wex and how you would approach these, and also to show that after seeing something at the vets you have then gone away and researched it more to get a better understanding of that case.

Keep in mind that the Cambridge interview system isn't MMI, instead it's (usually!) two 20 minute interviews, each with two academics; and relatively little of that time is going to be spent discussing work experience, for me I think I got asked pretty general questions about the most interesting case I had seen and we discussed that for a few minutes, more so they could see that I had actually taken in what was going on then any in depth level of quizzing. The interviews focus more on seeing how you think and respond to constructive input - you'll most likely be presented with problems or material which you're unfamiliar with and won't just 'know the answer' to, and then they will help you work through what they give you. These will more likely be general science questions, rather than something specifically veterinary, so the main thing is to make sure you have a solid grasp of your A-level/equivalent courses that you have studied so far, or if they are specifically veterinary you should be able to work them out from 'first principles'. Hope that makes things a bit clearer, let me know if not!


Hey! Thank you very much!

Possibly a stupid question but what do you mean by first principles? Is it basically common scientific underlying concepts etc?
Original post by katerebecca
As you guys probably know I'm now in Year 12 and I'm studying Biology, Chemistry and History. I'm just going to ask the ultimate question: do you guys have any general tips and advice for getting through A Levels and applying for Vet school? I'm also thinking of doing an EPQ if you have any advice about that etc. How did you guys go about getting WEX and when throughout the two years did you do it? What was A Level Bio and Chem and History (if you did it) like? Any advice at this point would be gladly accepted, I'm having a bit of a confidence crisis at the moment 😂😂


1) alevels are great if you keep on top of the work from day one. Not excessively, but go over your notes, revise topics as you do them. Anything you are still forgetting or struggling with, repeat more frequently. That way when exams come along you know your strengths and weaknesses. Use different techniques too, not just note taking, this supposedly increases your memory pathways to the information so you can recall it easier :smile: lots of people I studied with said they had to really tweet their revision technique from GCSE for alavels.

2) personally I got as much of the work experience done in first year, Surrey for example only accept work experience up to the date of application, so you only have until the beginning of second year. Get your lambing done early, some farms lamb over Christmas so start looking now. :smile: once you've got one farm, provided you work hard and are enthusiastic they can normally refer you to a friend or family member if you are struggling to find another placement.

3) try and get yourself some unusual placements and ones that show you've really considered the whole career. Abattoirs, labs, charity work.

4) Ask lots of questions and go away and look things up. For example on dairy, I have a dairy vet book and I look things up in the evening and ask questions. If you don't know the answer on placement say so, one of the comments I've heard from farms is how they hate it when students pretend to know the answer. They'd rather you said you didn't know, then they can teach you. This also goes for if you are asked to do something you aren't confident on, or are unsure, always better to double check, or get help with it. None of the farms I have been on have begrudged showing me again, or confirming information again. They would prefer you got it right. Also, if you do get something wrong, be honest and don't freak out. Accidents happen, and even if someone is annoyed at the time about it, things move on very quickly. It will soon be forgotten.

Enjoy yourself too, the placements should be nice relief from the day to day studying. I found they helped keep me focused and motivated!
Original post by Cowie315
1) alevels are great if you keep on top of the work from day one. Not excessively, but go over your notes, revise topics as you do them. Anything you are still forgetting or struggling with, repeat more frequently. That way when exams come along you know your strengths and weaknesses. Use different techniques too, not just note taking, this supposedly increases your memory pathways to the information so you can recall it easier :smile: lots of people I studied with said they had to really tweet their revision technique from GCSE for alavels.

2) personally I got as much of the work experience done in first year, Surrey for example only accept work experience up to the date of application, so you only have until the beginning of second year. Get your lambing done early, some farms lamb over Christmas so start looking now. :smile: once you've got one farm, provided you work hard and are enthusiastic they can normally refer you to a friend or family member if you are struggling to find another placement.

3) try and get yourself some unusual placements and ones that show you've really considered the whole career. Abattoirs, labs, charity work.

4) Ask lots of questions and go away and look things up. For example on dairy, I have a dairy vet book and I look things up in the evening and ask questions. If you don't know the answer on placement say so, one of the comments I've heard from farms is how they hate it when students pretend to know the answer. They'd rather you said you didn't know, then they can teach you. This also goes for if you are asked to do something you aren't confident on, or are unsure, always better to double check, or get help with it. None of the farms I have been on have begrudged showing me again, or confirming information again. They would prefer you got it right. Also, if you do get something wrong, be honest and don't freak out. Accidents happen, and even if someone is annoyed at the time about it, things move on very quickly. It will soon be forgotten.

Enjoy yourself too, the placements should be nice relief from the day to day studying. I found they helped keep me focused and motivated!


Thank you so much for this! Already A Levels are piling up on me, especially Chemistry ☹️ I'm really struggling to find work placements and it's hard for me to go further than 5 miles as I'm a Young Carer. Oh well, I'm just trying to hold fast and hope everything will fall in to place soon enough! Thank you so much for your advice, it's really motivated me on and gave me more ideas!
Original post by katerebecca
Thank you so much for this! Already A Levels are piling up on me, especially Chemistry ☹️ I'm really struggling to find work placements and it's hard for me to go further than 5 miles as I'm a Young Carer. Oh well, I'm just trying to hold fast and hope everything will fall in to place soon enough! Thank you so much for your advice, it's really motivated me on and gave me more ideas!


Don't worry so much about placements if you're in that situation as the universities will fully understand, just do what you can when you can, you can only do your best, it'll all come together in the end for you, it did for me!


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Would I best doing at least 2 weeks at each vet placement, one large and one small? Or will one week at each be sufficent.
Original post by Lizziefickling
Don't worry so much about placements if you're in that situation as the universities will fully understand, just do what you can when you can, you can only do your best, it'll all come together in the end for you, it did for me!


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I hope so! Everything is just feeling a bit hopeless at the moment :/ I think I might speak to my head of sixth tomorrow. Thank you 😌
Original post by katerebecca
Thank you so much for this! Already A Levels are piling up on me, especially Chemistry ☹️ I'm really struggling to find work placements and it's hard for me to go further than 5 miles as I'm a Young Carer. Oh well, I'm just trying to hold fast and hope everything will fall in to place soon enough! Thank you so much for your advice, it's really motivated me on and gave me more ideas!


Try not to stress too much. I have read that some of the vet schools won't favour students who have more than the minimum. Obviously the extra does help with the interview, but you can make the most of the ones you can do, and I'm sure they will be understanding of your limitations. Perhaps it would be worth speaking with them to be certain?
Also your placement don't have to be in one chunk, if you only have one day a week free, or a half day at college you can build up days. I did wednesdays during my second year. As I didn't have college, so I spent half the year at the vets and the other bit just before exams on a pig farm.
Don't loose hope, just do what you can. I would honestly try and spto all to the schools you want to apply to, they might also have some good advice :smile:
Good luck! Chemistry is tough, the mechanisms are easier learnt as you go in small chunks, plus it all comes together once you get to past papers!
Original post by Anderson2727
Hey! (Its me again - hoping to get into Cambridge.)

I have just done some mock MMI interviews this week and thought I did quite well (I get feedback next week) and so I was just wondering if you could tell me if it is likely that I get asked a famous Oxbridge question which are seemingly random. Also, since Cambridge wants quality over quantity with WEX, how far in depth should my questioning be? I mostly ask general questions and about why certain drugs or used etc (mostly focusing on pharmacology and pharmocodynamics because I think that the best vets have thw thorough understanding of this area! (and also its very interesting!)) And so will they ask me specific questions about specific drugs or give me case studies from vet practise and ask me what I would do etc? Unless I have stated something about learning this in my PS.

Btw sorry if this doesnt make much sense!

Thank you very much for all your time :smile:


Hi there, just curious do you have any preferred texts or websites and so on on pharmacology and pharmocodynamics?

Thanks :smile:
Original post by VictiniCup
Would I best doing at least 2 weeks at each vet placement, one large and one small? Or will one week at each be sufficent.


If you can do 2 weeks it's a bonus, but if not then one week at each should be sufficient


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Avatar for lucyy22
lucyy22
Original post by Anderson2727
Hey! Thank you very much!

Possibly a stupid question but what do you mean by first principles? Is it basically common scientific underlying concepts etc?



Heya - I'm a student at Cambridge at the moment (5th year) - so I thought I'd pop in with a few things

1. - not a stupid question! First principles is what you've said - common/the underlying scientific concepts :smile: so it's the idea that you can work through things essentially based on the sort of building blocks if that makes sense?

2. It's worth looking at college websites if you know which college you want to apply to, and seeing if they have anything about interviews. Not all of them do, but some do and they can be helpful :smile: The college I applied to was also 2 interviews, although each one was only with 1 person rather than 2. I've heard some colleges have a 'panel' of people for interviews - so just be aware it varies a bit!

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